Source Code
by OCfan11
Summary: Cheater is many things. A sacrificial moron, she is not.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

 **What Will Happen:**

" _Joker," she stops, not wanting to continue._

" _Cheater," he greets, still not looking at her. When the silence is broken by her angry sigh, he turns. If he didn't know her –_ if he didn't care _– he wouldn't have picked up on her anxiety. "What's wrong?"_

 _She holds up a hand, stopping him from coming closer. "…We need to talk."_

" _Alright," he nods, leaning back and stuffing his hands in his pockets._

 _It takes her a moment to relax. She splays a hand over an eye. "I need to run something by you."_

" _Okay."_

" _I need you to trust me."_

 _He really looks at the smaller teenager. "…What's this about?"_

 _Yume removes her hand from her eye to clench her arm. "I have a bad feeling."_

* * *

 **What Has Begun:**

Yume is her parent's favourite toy.

And honestly, Ishii Yume would have done anything for her parents… if they were her first set of parents. But they're her second set. This doesn't mean little child Yume doesn't love them. Quite contrary, she loves these people – the Ishii family – lots; especially since they spent the first three years of her life cooing and entertaining her.

But she is not a toy to break, to be remoulded. Little Yume stands firm on her decisions, showing a force of will that causes her parents to see a matureness in their daughter. A quiet three year old with a firm will is not a broken child. But, to the thrill-seeking lives of her parents, little Yume turns out to be _boring_.

Privately, Yume would disagree. There is nothing boring about having a second chance at life.

After three years, her parents turn the reigns of raising their daughter to babysitters. This continues for a few months, until one day neither her parents nor a babysitter show up for a week.

If she hadn't lived for a handful of decades before this, she would not have survived.

And being forgotten… left behind…

That _hurts_.

But she holds her head high and buys her own groceries with the babysitter money.

Cooks her own food while standing on a stool.

Washes her clothing in the laundry room three floors below her parent's apartment.

And finally, gets a computer.

 _Because you might die, but old habits don't._

After 'paying' rent and utilities, little Yume's first search is for her parents.

 _She hopes they are enjoying their 'business' trip in the Bahamas._

Then she looks for the babysitter.

 _Hit by a car; currently in the hospital with amnesia._

With all this independence, she's not going to alert anyone to her problems.

 _Especially since it looks like Tokyo's police force isn't at its best at the moment._

It's not until months later that something _interesting_ happens.

Yume is doing her past-life job of scanning through online articles, pulling up files on the most 'remarkable' people. There are a lot of shady ties between everyone, a few names even trigger recognition from her old memories, but nothing is slapping her in the face. So she goes back to scanning online newspapers.

And, a few hours in, comes across a picture.

It's not men celebrating on the front that catches her attention. It's a person off to the side, on an old flip phone, that triggers her focus. She peers closer, blinks, and can faintly make out an eye on the phone's red screen.

An app on a flip phone. Nothing too innocuous about it, but her mind latches onto that like a-dog-with-a-bone. She starts searching for that app. The girl looks up the phone-make, and then the apps allowed for it. Not finding what she wants, she goes to the phone's source code.

It's there. An inactive app that can only be brought forth under certain conditions. From what she finds, it's the app's creator who's supposed to activate it. Or deactivate it.

So, she flips them an unseen, metaphorical middle finger by downloading and activating it herself.

 _That_ is the slap in the face she was waiting for.

"Persona," the girl whispers, gazing around the other world with horrified awe. She recognizes it for what it is, and it's _terrifying_.

She closes the app, breathing hard.

There had been hope she could pick up a job like her last one. Somewhere she could work for bettering the world, a background character who gathers information for the heroes. But in the world of _Persona_ , there is no good and evil. Everything is shades of grey. So much grey, it's a storm the world drowns in.

The things she's dug up about the police make sense now. The world has to curl for the protagonist to straighten. That means she can't get a job in law or security, because in a few years the corruption will run too deep.

If she tries to go the other way, her heart will twist beyond repair.

The small girl smirks.

 _When in Persona, do as the others do._

 _Git Gud._

And then, little Yume _cackles_.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Persona. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: I've been going through my old, unposted stories and found this. I don't know… I thought it might be nice to put this up now that I've finally finished the game… Thanks for reading**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It takes six weeks – _of push-ups until she wants to throw up; of lists scrawled because she can't print never mind write kanji; of illegally increasing the cash on her parent's forgotten credit so she doesn't starve; of lying through her teeth; of_ _ **panicking**_ – for her neighbors to get used to her running laps around the buildings.

Because what three year old runs laps for fun?

What three year old is _alone_ to run laps around the neighborhood?

 _A three year old that spent most of her last life in a wheelchair._

 _Running, walking, standing, are beautiful things to experience._

"Can I help you with that, Ms. Eguchi?" her tongue lisping on the honorific.

The old woman smiles. "Thank you, Yume. Would you care to accompany me to Café Leblanc after we put these away?"

Yume dutifully grabs the heavy grocery bags, straightening and giving the woman her biggest smile. "Ee!"

The old woman laughs loudly, drawing a few gazes. The adults then see the little runner girl and smile fondly, waving when Yume greets every one of them.

Eguchi Maki is the woman who lives across the hall from the energetic three year old. She is the first one to question the girl on her living conditions, so Yume has some healthy respect for the elder. Still, the child lies about her parents and sitter's whereabouts. The older woman seems to know better, and invites the girl to dinner at least once in the week.

From one of their many chats, Yume knows the elder never pushes because the older woman has too much going on in her life already. Her youngest son has the family concerned with his unknown, late night activities. Her eldest son and wife are expecting their first child in four months. It's also coming up to the tenth year without her husband, causing the woman to shed more than a few tears while reminiscing tales over meals.

Yume always makes sure to hug the woman, to show that she cares even if she lies. Yume, in her fear and need of grounding, makes Ms. Eguchi her first life-line this existence. Being a reborn, remembering, soul is hard, but even just one person to live for makes it easier.

The second life-line comes in the form of a blunt-yet-caring government worker, Sakura Sojiro.

"You two again," he sighs, setting down his glass with a small _tink_. "Don't you have anything better to be doing than coming here all the time?"

"Don't listen to him, ladies," the owner of Leblanc, Mr. Enomoto, says from behind the counter. "And Sojiro, stop trying to scare off my customers."

"Fine," the government worker huffs, not-quite-subtly glancing at the little girl.

Now, one might argue that currently having Mr. Sakura as a friend would not be in Yume's best interest. Yume argues with herself about it all the time. But, no matter that _she_ knows that _he_ knows something is off about her, Yume can't really do anything about it. So, her interactions with the man started out as quiet and cordial.

Then he noticed her trying to sneak a peek at the newspaper and offered to teach her how to do the crossword. They've been friends ever since.

 _He just doesn't know that yet._

"Can we sit with Mr. Sakura today?" Yume whispers loudly to Ms. Eguchi.

"Well…" the older woman makes a point of looking around the semi-busy restaurant. Then she hunches over, whispering loudly back. "Only if he agrees."

Yume turns her bright, look-at-me-I'm-cute smile on the man. "Can we please sit with you today, Mr. Sakura?"

"Sure, kid," he grunts, chugging back his coffee. "I'm not here for much longer, so take over the bar when I'm done."

"Ee!" Yume nods, letting the man help her onto the bar stool. "What did you have for dinner tonight, Mr. Sakura?"

He tells her curry, and the girl turns to Mr. Enomoto and asks for some.

"Sure thing, little Ms." Mr. Enomoto says with a wink. Yume giggles. "And for you, Maki?"

"Some of that stew for me," the elderly woman replies, taking a sniff. "Been busy, has it?"

"Eh, nothing I can't handle," Mr. Enomoto jokes, flipping bowls in the air for the kid. Yume 'ooh's and claps, highly impressed. "Sojiro was just telling me about his lady friend again."

"Oh?" Ms. Eguchi zeros in on the choking government worker. She smiles widely, all but purring at the thought of new gossip. "Will we be seeing Wakaba soon?"

Sojiro mutters something along the lines of 'and let you scare her kid off, no thanks'.

"Ooo," Yume coos, stirring the metaphorical pot. "Is she nice? Is she going to move into the neighborhood like Mr. Matsu's lady friend did?"

Maki cackles at Sojiro's face. Mr. Enomoto just shrugs to stifle a laugh, setting the bowls down.

"She's not moving here," Sojiro bites out, irritated. He gathers his things, leaving money on the counter and swiping his bill. "And she won't be coming by if I can't get her to talk to me."

Yume blinks up innocently. "Can't you just say hello to her?"

He sighs hard. "It's not that simple, kid." He cuts her off before she says something purposefully childish. "It's an adult problem. Don't worry about it and eat your curry."

"Ee!" Yume nods dutifully.

"Good luck getting her away from work," Maki says, smug smile following the government worker as he stomps towards the door. "Bring her around sometime! I didn't babysit you for years just to keep the blackmail stories to myself!"

"Which is why I don't bring her here!" Sojiro calls back.

* * *

 **A/N: So, apparently I'm on a bit of a persona high and writing binge. Did not think I'd have this chapter ready, but ta da. I want to give a big thanks to everyone reading this story, and to Harukawa Ayame and Guest for your reviews! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sojiro brings his new friend and her kid three months later.

Four year old Yume is in love.

"Can I hug you?" Yume asks the wide-eyed, orange haired girl. She immediately claps a hand over her mouth, not having meant to say that. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I'm Yume! I mean, Ishii Yume! Call me Yume! I'm sorry!"

The orange hair girl keeps staring.

The woman laughs and nudges her three year old daughter forwards. "My name is Isshiki Wakaba, and this is my daughter Isshiki Futaba. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yume. Sojiro talks about you."

"He does?" Yume brightens and turns her eyes to the man, glomping his leg. "Yay! I knew you cared!"

"Whatever, kid," Sojiro mutters, patting her head distractedly. "You didn't bring Ms. Eguchi around with you, right?"

"Iie!" Yume shakes her head, backing up to her booth. "Her sons are visiting, and Mr. Enomoto said it was alright to stay after the lunch rush."

"Always," Mr. Enomoto says, coming out from the back. "Hey Wakaba, long time no see."

"Hello," Wakaba smirks nudging her daughter towards Yume. "Why don't you play with Yume for a while, Futaba?" The young girl grabs her mum's skirt and shakes her head, still staring at Yume with wide eyes. "Hey now, remember what we talked about? The promise still holds."

Futaba slowly unclenches her hands. Wakaba stays still, watching her daughter shuffle up to the older girl. "H-hello…"

Yume smiles, slowly motioning to the booth. "Would you like to draw with me, Ms. Isshiki?"

Futaba manages a smile and nods. "Futaba."

Yume smiles wider and bows slightly. "Please, call me Yume, Futaba."

The girls get into the booth. The smaller, orange haired still doesn't look away from Yume, even when the older girl holds out a few crayons.

"Is something the matter?" Yume asks, smile faltering.

Futaba stares some more. "…cherries."

"Eh?" Yume asks.

Futaba flushes a bit and ducks her head. "Y-your hair is dark cherries!"

Yume blinks. Comes to a decision.

 _I will protect this sweet angel._

"Thank you!" Yume cheers, setting the crayons down before turning to fully face the girl. "I love your hair! It's the perfect shade of orange! And it matches your cute shirt! Can I give you a hug and will you be my friend?"

Futaba, wide-eyed, nods stiffly.

Yume glomps her, making sure to give room if the timid girl wants to push back. To her surprise, Futaba latches on like a koala.

 _Click._

"Aw," Wakaba says, lowering the camera. "Why didn't we meet her sooner, Sojiro?"

"Futaba?" Yume asks quietly, the girl curling up and resting on her.

"If we friends…" Futaba mutters, keeping her head ducked. "Will you come to my next year birthday?"

 _You're adorable and I want ten of you._

"Ee," Yume has to work to keep her verbal tick at a quieter level. The older girl nods quickly. She grabs a crayon and writes down her phone number. "When is your birthday?"

Futaba tells her, proudly but quietly, stating she's three now. Yume writes down the date, and then rips off the phone number. "Call me anytime!"

"She speaks quite well for a four year old," Wakaba mutters to the other adults. The woman smiles gently when her daughter silently gives her the paper. "Oh? Is this your home number, Yume?"

"Ee!" Yume chirps, nodding. "Call me!"

"We will." Wakaba laughs and pats her daughter's head. Futaba scuttles back to Yume in time for a couple drinks to be placed at their booth. "Enjoy, girls."

Yume stares at the sippy cup of hot chocolate, Futaba already drinking it. Yume stares with wide eyes as the little girl chugs back the steaming drink. When Futaba slams the cup down, she freezes under the older girl's look. "What?"

"You are amazing," Yume tells her seriously. She looks at the drink, barely able to touch the sides. "It's so hot…"

Futaba holds up a determined fist. "No pain no gain!"

Yume stares, and then nods. "Hai!" She chugs the drink.

 _Such a mistake._

Futaba giggle as Yume breathes heavily, the older girl's face slumped on the cool counter. She can practically feel the dizzy circles over her eyes as she makes a cross between a grunt and a cough.

"No pain no gain!" Futaba chirps, patting Yume's head hesitantly.

Yume sticks her tongue, going cross-eyed. "Pain…"

The door chimes open and Yume lifts her head up when Maki calls out, "Wakaba, it's so nice to see you again."

Futaba 'eep's and ducks under Yume's arm. The older girl easily shields the younger one, patting her head in retaliation. "It's okay. That's Ms. Eguchi. She's really nice."

"Maki," Wakaba says, standing up to hug the woman. "It's good to see you are doing well."

Sojiro's head thumps on the table.

"Is he okay?" Futaba mutters.

Yume nods and ducks down into the booth. "Ee; Ms. Eguchi likes to tease him."

Futaba frowns and crawls to the end of the booth seat. She hisses, "Sojiro!"

He straightens and looks over, along with the other adults.

Futaba squeaks and scuttles backwards, keeping in sight of the man. She beckons him over. "You can hide with us!"

The women chuckle while Sojiro shakes his head and declines the offer. "I've got to face the demon sometime."

Ms. Eguchi rolls her eyes as the door chimes again, three men spilling in. The youngest and eldest look dead tired, but have bright smiles as they greet the adults. The middle helps Ms. Eguchi to a booth, straight faced.

"Hold on," Maki pauses, smiling at the girl's booth. "Jiro, that's little Yume, and you must be Wakaba's daughter. You've grown so much."

Futaba squeaks and lifts Yume's arm up to hide under.

"Hello!" Yume greets with a smile. "I'm Yume!"

The middle brother of three nods, still straight faced. "Eguchi Jiro."

"My name is Eguchi Nobuo," says the eldest. He goes to hold out a hand, but retracts it when Futaba squeaks again.

"Hitoshi," says the third brother, smiling tiredly at the girls. "Nice to finally put a name to a face."

"Ee!" Yume nods. "Ms. Eguchi tells me lots of stories about you!"

"Only the good ones, I hope," Hitoshi says, reaching for his pocket when his phone vibrates. He sighs and shuts it, moving to the booth his family is at.

But Yume catches the red eye app he scrolled past on his flip phone.

And suddenly, Hitoshi's late-night, unknown whereabouts make a lot more sense.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! (No idea when the next update will be, sorry)**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! Glad you liked it! Hope you'll enjoy the other, younger versions of everyone! Only time will reveal them all… Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reviewing!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Two days after meeting Futaba and the Eguchi men, Yume finishes her afternoon run through the park by jogging down streets.

 _She's stalling_.

The girl is curious about the other world. Seeing the app on Hitoshi's phone only adds to the curiosity.

 _But cowardliness beats curiosity again today._

The burner phone she bought a month ago sits on her bedside table, waiting to be used. She spent a week paranoid after she manually activated the red-eyed app via computer. Since the activation, she hasn't touched it.

 _I have to do it eventually_ , Yume tries to convince herself. _I have to_ _ **see**_ _. I have to_ _ **know**_ _._

Pep-talk failed. Yume stops and leans against a wall, panting. Watching people pass, the building across the road catches her eye. Walking over there, Yume finds she gets more and more excited at the thought of doing the activity they advertise.

Dancing.

Something she could never do herself, back in the wheelchair.

That night, she signs up for ballet lessons. Her parents' signature is forged and cash is added to the credit card. The next day, she buys leotards and ballet shoes. That week, she attends lessons for the young girls not old enough to be attending school.

This how she meets five year olds Okumura Haru and Niijima Makoto.

Or, doesn't meet them. Not at first. The girls have their own groups of friends. Makoto has been dancing for a few years, while Haru joined last year. They are not only older, but are also better dancers then little Yume.

Makoto is part of the group of girls that help the younger or inexperienced ones. Yume, who is on speaking terms with those in the inexperienced group, finds it hard to connect with the older girl. The other straight-laced ballerinas or the younger girls easily take to Makoto's teaching, almost fighting for the older girl's attention.

Yume likes Takado Miwa the best.

"There you go, Yume!" Miwa cheers on, releasing the girl. "Have you been practicing?"

"Hai!" Yume nods, wobbling on her feet.

"A few more seconds," Miwa urges. "Come on, three… two… one… You're good!"

Yume drops down on her heels so fast something cracks. The girls turn sheepish looks around, but none of the others seem to have heard it.

"Maybe go easy on the release," Miwa offers with a laugh. The five – almost six - year old shows off the next set of positions to practice. "And you are going to practice, right?"

"Ee!" Yume nods with a wide smile.

It's the second week, when the older or experienced kids have more time in the studio, that Yume meets Haru; the five year old crying in the bathroom.

"What's wrong?" Yume says immediately, twitching her head around to look for injuries.

"I-it's nothing," Haru whimpers, rubbing her eyes harshly.

"It's not nothing if it made you cry," Yume says seriously, quietly. She gets some paper towels and soaks them with cold water. "Put this on your eyes. It will sting less."

The older girl sniffs and does as told, slamming her hand's heels into her eyes over the cloth. Yume lightly pulls at the girl's hands, easing them into a less painful position. "Don't press too hard. I know it hurts, but it will be worse if you do that."

Haru sniffs again, nodding.

Yume steps back and gets more cold papers. "Are you alright if I wipe your face?"

"Y-yes," Haru whimpers, starting to shake.

Carefully, Yume wipes the tear tracks on the girl's cheeks. Haru slowly stops crying, breathing turning to hiccups, and finally stilling her body. The older girl pulls the papers away from her eyes and gives Yume a hesitant smile. "I'm fine now."

Yume frowns and looks at the girl's broken expression. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Haru sucks in a breath, glancing over to the mirror, and starts to silently cry. "N-no. I'm okay."

Yume puts her wet papers down and holds her arms out slightly. "Will you be okay if I hug you?"

"W-why?" Haru asks, eyes going back to the younger girl.

"Because angels like you should be offered hugs when they're sad," Yume says simply.

"I'm not an angel," Haru says, almost irritated.

"Yes you are," Yume says, blinking innocently. "You have wings on your back."

Haru goes to say something, and then stops. She looks back in the mirror, eyes going to the wings drawn on the back of her fancy leotard. The girl giggles. Then laughs. "Can I give you a hug?"

"Ee!" Yume nods, spreading her arms out. Haru just about squeezes the life out of the younger girl, so Yume returns the favour. Squished against glitter and silk, Yume muffles out. "I'm Yume!"

"Okumura Haru," the older girl says softly. She steps back and looks away. "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"No worries." Yume chirps, gathering the papers and throwing them away. "Thank you for the hug. Want to be friends?"

Haru's face falls into a mixture of sadness and anger.

"Or not?" Yume asks quickly. "Sorry if I offended you. I'm not good with people."

"It's okay," Haru says, scrubbing her eyes. "I… I don't have any friends right now."

"…Is that why you were crying, Ms. Okumura?" Yume asks softly, dangerously.

"Mmhmm," Haru nods, wringing her hands together. "My- eh… my… the girls I know said they didn't want to be my friend, but their parents are making them."

Yume frowns hard, green eyes narrowing. "What are their names?"

Haru blinks and glances up. "Ms. Chiaki and Ms. Hananoka. Why?"

"So I know who to make miserable," Yume says easily. Haru's eyes widen and she gasps. "What? They hurt you, and for a really mean reason. Unless… are you going to hurt them back?"

"No!" Haru gasps, shrinking in on herself. "That would be wrong!"

"Oh." Yume says softly. "You seem like a good person, Ms. Okumura. That's why you shouldn't worry about those girls."

"What are you going to do?" Haru whispers.

 _But there's something in the older girl's eyes_.

"Probably torment them, if I can," Yume says with a shrug. "Maybe switch their shoes or pack things in each other's bags so they blame each other for stealing. I'm sure I can hit them with a few spit balls. Any suggestions?"

Haru pauses and bites her lip. Softly, she throws out, "Trip them in the hallway?"

"Maybe?" Yume hums, thinking. "I'd have to be really sneaky for that."

The older girl giggles and smiles. "Maybe let me have revenge then, Ms. Yume."

"Oh, it's just Yume!" the little girl says. "And are you sure? I mean, er, can I help a little?"

Haru steps forward and hugs Yume again. "You're cute."

"So are you," Yume mutters against the silk and sequence leotard.

"Hey!" one of the instructors comes into the bathroom. Yume and Haru stare innocently, a few feet apart from each other. "Oh, hello Ms. Okumura. I hope Ms. Ishii wasn't giving you any problems."

"No, ma'am," Haru says softly, blinking innocently up at the instructor. "We were just finishing up."

The teacher grunts and nods, sending Yume a hard look. "Get back to class, Ms. Ishii."

"Ee, ma'am!" Yume nods, washing her hands. She watches Haru leave the bathroom through the mirror.

The older girl looks back, and smiles and waves.

* * *

 **A/N: Sometimes I write to relieve stress. So… chapter. Hope people enjoyed, and thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! Wakaba and Boss may or may not star in immediate** **chapters, but there will be more of them for sure! Thank you for letting me know! All fixed now :) Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Yume didn't start running through the nearest park until Ms. Eguchi took her to it. She always takes the woman's offer to go there, and mainly plays in the sandbox. When she runs through the park, it's after her morning nap. A few shop keepers know who she is, and the Sunday after her second week of dance is when they all ask where she's been. Nine out of ten shop keepers smile when she explains she started ballet; the tenth one rolled her eyes and said Yume should try hip hop.

Yume runs towards the park, bright smile on her face. She loves dancing, yes, but running all-out like this is freeing. Her hair shines more red in the sun than black if she stays still, so Yume tries to go as quick as she can to make it a black blur in the shop reflections. It's a nice challenge; something different than staring in the dance hall mirrors six days a week.

Yume puts her head down and sprints the last dozen feet to the park. Then she springs through the entrance, trying to do the leap the experienced dancers were practicing yesterday.

She fails. Miserably.

"Ow," Yume quietly groans, picking herself up from the ground. She sniffs, arm stinging from the road rash. Her toes are sore from her overbalance.

"Are you okay?" a voice shouts, rushing up to her.

Yume blinks and looks wide eyed at the boy about her age. His dark hair sticks up, his clothes are ruffled, and there are some bruises on his legs. If Yume was honest, it looked like the kid rolled down a hill. "Yes. Thank you."

"Good," the kid huffs, hands going on his hips as he glares down at her. Then he shouts, "Now, where have you been?"

Yume blinks; wipes her bloody arm on her shorts and stands up, muscles protesting.

 _Nope. New angle and still don't recognize him._

"Have we met before…?" Yume asks, positive she doesn't know any boys around her age.

"I've seen you running through the park before," the boy says, as if that answers 'yes' to her question. "You weren't there the last time I came by. Where were you?"

Yume blinks again, still kind-of cradling her arm. In a confused, almost apologetic way, she says, "I've been taking dance lessons…?"

He wrinkles his nose and a tiny part of Yume silently squeals at how adorable this kid is. "Ew. Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to dance," Yume says with a shy smile. She stands in superhero-like pose. "I'm going to be a ballerina."

The other kid snorts. "That's stupid. You can't be a ballerina."

"Yes I can," Yume says, blinking. On one hand: _adorable_. On the other: should she be offended?

"No you can't!" the kid pouts and stomps his foot. "My mother says you have a runner's spirit! That means you're gonna' be a runner!"

 _Where's a camera when you need one?_

"Why can't I be both?" Yume says. "I like running and I like dancing. They're both fun!"

The kid looks so offended; she wants to smush his cheeks. "Dancing isn't fun!"

"Yes it is!" Yume pouts at him. "I can bend down at touch my toes because of it!"

"I can do that anyways!" the boy shouts, easily bending down and touching his toes. Yume sulks. "See- hey! What's wrong?"

"You're more flexible than me," Yume mutters.

"Well, duh," the boy says. "I was in acrobatics classes all winter."

"Were they fun?" Yume asks, brightening at the thought.

"Sure?" the kid scratches the back of his head, kicking at a rock. "They weren't my thing. I think I want to be a runner, like you."

"I run for fun," Yume says, pursing her lips childishly. "Do you… want to run with me?"

"Heck ya!" the kid cheers, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the unused soccer field. "Hey! What's your name?"

"I'm Yume," the girl says, giggling and moving her legs faster until she keeps even with his longer ones.

"I'm Ryuji!" the boy shouts over his shoulder, letting go of her hand. They stop beside the goalpost. He proudly puffs his chest. "I'm four!"

"I am too."

"No way!" he refuses, patting the top of her head. "You're too short!"

Yume bares her teeth in a smile. "I am four! And I bet I can run faster than you!"

"First one to the goal post!" Ryuji shouts, smiling widely.

"You're on!" Yume cheers back, just as excited.

And that's how Sakamoto Ryuji and Ishii Yume become friends.

* * *

 **A/N: I loved writing Ryuji. He's such a bro and deserves so much better. Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! I want to fill this with so much childhood friendship... and plot, but that can wait a little bit longer. I'm glad someone's worried for her, 'cause next chapter gets a bit... Whoops. And with that to look forward to, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you again for reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Yume doesn't sleep properly. If she did, it's likely she would be in the hospital from stress or lack of rest by now. It always feels like there is too much to do, and never enough time to do it. Early mornings are for breakfast and workouts, or breakfast and runs. Then a nap. A few hours before lunch are for chatting with the neighbors before dance lessons or her lunchtime runs. Then she chats with the neighbors some more, or hangs out around the neighborhood café, before making her way back home for an afternoon nap. Then, chores and dinner before another nap. And then research, and then her final hours of sleep for the day.

 _It's a lot of napping._

Until she can handle a day without needing all that sleep, it's her schedule.

 _Literal and figurative nightmares all around_.

This means she's up when the phone rings during researching hours.

"Ishii family household, Ishii Yume speaking," the young girl chirps into the phone at eleven o'clock at night.

"Yume!" Futaba cries into the phone. "I had nightmare."

Yume blinks.

 _I will hug you twice as hard when we meet again, sweet angel._

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yume asks, putting her computer on stasis mode. The older girl curls up on the couch, waiting until Futaba calms down enough to talk.

"There were monsters," the girl on the other end mutters. "They come human dogs and sick mummies."

Yume frowns. "Is your mother alright, Futaba?"

"Un!" Futaba says. "She work and Sojiro gone. That why I call you!"

"Good," Yume says seriously. "Call me when you need help. Are the lights on in your room?"

"Un," Futaba confirms.

"Good," Yume repeats. "Light keeps the bad monsters away."

"…what about under bed?" Futaba whispers.

"They won't hide under your bed," Yume is quick to assure. "They don't want you jumping on the bed and hurting them."

The phone goes silent for a few seconds. Then the sounds of springs squeaking. Futaba 'oof's and comes back on. "No monsters under bed!"

"Un!" Yume agrees, her head nodding. "You're safe now."

Futaba breathes out a relieved, heavy breath. "Thank you, Yume!"

"Of course!" Yume says, clutching the phone closer to her ear. "I get nightmares too."

"I help you!" Futaba say sternly. "Go jump on your bed!"

Yume blinks; startling when hand goes to her eyes and comes back wet. She doesn't even know why she's crying. Why should she be crying? "Thank you, Futaba. No monsters here."

 _What's there to cry about?_

"Mhmm!" Futaba says proudly. "We are Phoenix Ranger Featherman!"

Yume wipes the remaining tears from her eyes. "Who?"

Futaba gasps loudly, almost drowning out the door closing on the younger girl's side. Yume tenses, but hears a familiar voice call out, "Futaba? Why are you awake?"

"Sojiro!" Futaba whines, sounding far away from the phone. "Yume doesn't know Phoenix Ranger Featherman!"

"Yume?" Sojiro asks. The phone moves. "Who is this?"

"Hi Mr. Sakura!" Yume says cheerfully through the phone.

"Yume." She can practically see his deadpan. "What are you doing up at this time of night?"

"I couldn't sleep," Yume says cheerfully back. "Futaba called me since she had a nightmare."

There is a pause. "Is that true, kiddo? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Un!" Futaba shouts. "And you weren't here! I phone Yume!"

Sojiro sighs. "Sorry kiddo. Let's get you back to bed. Say goodnight to Yume, yah?"

"Night!" Futaba shouts.

" _Night_!" Yume calls back. She startles, hand going to throat because the word sounded… sad.

"Don't hang up," Sojiro warns. "I'll be in a few minutes."

"Okay," Yume nods unseen. And so she waits, wondering why she would cry. Why would she be sad?

 _I was a grown adult_ , Yume thinks, hugging her knees to her chest. _I'm better than this. Why did I cry?_

The only answer she comes up with; Yume still feels like a child.

"Yume?" Sojiro whispers to the phone. "You still there?"

"Ee!" Yume confirms with another unseen nod. "Hello Mr. Sakura."

Sojiro sighs. "Are you doing alright?"

 _I was abandoned for my second life, Sojiro. I'm never really alright._

"Ee!" Yume confirms with a forced happy tone. Her head rests on her knees instead of bobbing. "How are you?"

"I'm alright, kid," Sojiro sighs. "You should go to bed."

"Okay," Yume says quieter. "Um… goodnight, Mr. Sakura."

"Good night Yume."

The man doesn't hang up. Yume waits a few seconds, and then lets out a soft 'bye' and turns the phone off.

 _Tomorrow_ , Yume thinks, staring at the computer as she passes it. The phone goes in the cradle, and then her feet carry her to the apartment door. _I'll go to the other world tomorrow_.

She doesn't touch the door, just stares at it. Yume fidgets, slowly coming to the conclusion that _no…_ she isn't an adult. Memories of another life – knowing she was an adult once – doesn't change that she isn't now. She wants to think she's better. She wants to be more mature. Find a reason to keep going. Make connections so that she wants to stay. She – _Yume_ – wants to live.

 _Love._

 _Hug._

 _Be a person who helps._

She is a four year old who feels deprived of human touch. There is no constant affection she had grown used to when her parents were around. None of the little gestures she grew up with in her first life's family. A real child would have broken down by now, and this was her body's way of saying the care of another is appreciated; is part of who she is.

 _Futaba phoned. She didn't forget_.

Yume wants to knock on Ms. Eguchi's door and ask to stay the night.

…

She turns around and goes back to her computer.

She'll ignore her problems.

 _They won't matter when a plot kicks in_.

The girl starts her computer.

 _I'll go to the other world tomorrow_ ; Yume sniffs and wipes her eyes. _A quick check. A look around. I won't leave the area._

But first…

 _Time to see who's expected to show up._

The app can only activate on certain phone models; and a computer, evident by Yume downloading it to hers. The big difference between the flip phones and the computer is Yume's ability to type faster and dig deeper on a computer.

 _Flip phone texting brings pain._

"I was right," Yume breathes, looking at the master list she digs up. Everyone who owns a phone with the ability to have the app is right in front of her. Thousands of names. Her first search, Eguchi Hitoshi, comes up a success. "And the green dot means…"

 _Active_.

There are approximately two hundred phones with the app active worldwide.

 _Her name is on the list._

"What does the yellow dot mean?" she muses softly.

Next to Hitoshi's green dot is said yellow dot.

Next to her green is nothing.

Three people have blue dots next to their green dots.

 _What does it all mean_?

Yume shakes her head and grabs a pen and paper. She'll figure it out later.

Fifty-seven names are written in kanji. Of those, forty-one names belong to Japanese citizens. This means some of the thousands of names are in Japan, but she doesn't have the time or a program to search them all. There are no phone numbers, so she can't look by area codes either. Her fingers itch to search those with English and Italian names, but she resists and digs a bit deeper into the forty-one people.

Eguchi Hitoshi and thirty-five other people have green dots by their names. Including Hitoshi, six of them live in Tokyo.

Ishii Yume and four other people have no dots beside the green one. Only she and Murakami Kayo live in Tokyo.

Aki Tetsuya is the only kanji name on the list, born-and-raised in Tokyo, with a blue dot.

 _There is nothing special about him_.

Tetsuya is a no one with a mediocre life. He has a mother, a father, and two younger siblings. He gets average grades, though they had been slowly inclining last year. Also last year was the time he started to be seen in photos with three of the green-yellow dot people. Yume looks up the name of the fourth person she sees him with, and the English name is a match to another green-yellow dot name on the master list.

Some more digging reveals that Kayo is also a known associate of Tetsuya's.

So is Hitoshi.

And the other two green-yellows.

 _Meet the main character_.

Yume yawns and shuts off the computer, throwing her notes in a desk to be organized later.

 _Now, do I go looking for them… or let the plot come to me?_

 _Maybe I'll be lucky and won't get involved._

The next day disproves that theory.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! So… any thoughts?**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The third week of dance starts, and with it a notice about the end of term dance recital. The girls in the class don't stop talking about it for the day. The inexperienced are nervous. Haru and Miwa are excited. Yume walks home that day, holding her two free tickets and the flyer.

She goes to knock on Ms. Eguchi's door.

"Oh!" the woman shouts, looking half crazed and startled as she stares down the girl. She readjusts the cellphone by her ear. "Nothing, I'm alright." She holds a hand over the receiver. "I'm sorry, Yume, but my daughter in-law is having her baby and I must be going. If you see Hitoshi, can you tell him to hurry to the hospital?"

"Ee!" Yume nods.

Maki doesn't seem to be paying attention as she locks her door. "Of course I'll keep trying his phone. If that boy doesn't show up to his godson's birth I'm going to…"

Yume stares at the empty stairwell, listening to the elder's threats echo as she goes. The girl's hand tightens around the flyer, and Yume turns to her door. She slowly walks into the empty room. Her tickets and flyer drop on a low table, and Yume can't seem to drag her eyes away.

 _She's going to her grandchild's birth_ , Yume mentally whispers. She tries to stop acting like a spoiled brat. She can ask Ms. Eguchi about the recital when the woman gets back. _Don't be selfish._

Her eyes go to her open bedroom door. She slips in, slowly dragging her feet to the burner phone.

 _The decision to go to the other world..._

Her eyes flicker from phone to computer.

 _Do something meaningful for once._

Yume flicks the lights on and starts up the monitor.

;;;

" _You'll never see it coming~"_

"What the f-"

" _You'll see that my mind is too fast for eyes~"_

"Does anyone else hear that?"

"A safe room has never played music, has it?"

" _You're done in~"_

"Hold on, it's coming from Spike."

"Dude, is that your phone?"

" _By the time it hits you, your last surprise~"_

"How is that working?"

"Never mind that, why don't you have it on silent?!"

"I didn't think it would go off in a castle! It's never done that before!"

"Well, answer it already!"

" _I'm coming~"_

 _*Click*_

"Hello?"

"Finally!" a child-like voice shouts. "Your brother is having a baby."

That causes Spike to double take. "What?"

"Wait, sorry," the child apologizes. "Your brother's wife is having a baby! Ms. Eguchi has been trying to get a hold of you."

"Who is this?" Spike demands, pacing around the small room.

"…You forgot me?" the child asks quietly.

"What?"

"Er, nothing," the child says, slightly dejected. "You need to hurry to the hospital. Your mother has been threatening to mention your name around town, to get you a job, if you don't show."

Spike swears and hangs up, turning to the group with wide eyes. "I need to get out of here; I'm about to be a godfather."

"Then go," the leader of the group says. "Bones, go with him. Maybe you'll get to see the birth, get some early experience."

"Ha. Ha." Bones replies, heels clicking as she follows the panicking young man. "So, boy or girl?"

"They don't know," Spike admits, hands in fists to stop fidgeting. "I'm just hoping for ten fingers and toes."

Bones hums. "Do you think I can see the birth?"

"Bones, no."

"Doctor Bones, _yes_."

;;;

Yume lowers her phone, playing with the bandages on her arm. Maybe coming here when she's injured wasn't such a good idea.

 _I want to survive._

Good to kick bad habits now. No more unhealed injuries before doing something stupid. Even if the injury is road rash.

The girl goes to the ledge of her apartment building's roof. She sits and kicks her legs, content to watch the chaos around her.

The sky makes the world tints of red and black. Her neighborhood seems free from the crazy, which is comforting. Just red and black, and red and black, and… more red and black.

A few blocks away, the world starts getting _weird_.

Some kind of nightclub seems to take up three blocks. The spotlights twist and turn, but the light aimed for the sky never hits. Even when it aims towards Yume – who flinches in what she is sure will be blinding light – the light never actually comes. It's just a white dot, defying physics.

Also defying physics, there is a block where the nightclub and the extremely large hotel seem to overlap. It's like they are two separate things trying to exist in one space. The girl feels her mind hurt just trying to comprehend it.

There is a roar overhead, and Yume looks up. A large, fancy plane fly's sort-of low to the ground. It seems to circle the city, but its shadow doesn't appear on the… interesting buildings. Unlike when it went dark over her.

Then the airplane flies _through_ a never-ending skyscraper and Yume gives up any pretense of understanding what is exactly going on.

A horn echoes and some kind of train flies through the air.

"Welcome to Persona," Yume mutters, gazing flickering to the moving shadows and milling humans. She brushes her bandages again, drawing in a breath at the pain. "It's a do-or-die world, and I'm not going to let myself die."

For another hour, Yume watches. It's crazy and chaotic, and dangerous and dark, and… she wants to be a part of it.

 _A small part. Like a pinky nail size part._

But that's more than she can say about what she wants in the real world.

"I wonder if the loot's good," Yume mumbles to herself, standing up and returning to her room. "Maybe I can start selling things." _Instead of breaking the law every time she runs out of eating money._

Her phone bleeps at her when she's back in her room, startling Yume into almost dropping it. The little girl flicks it open, and hesitantly accepts the message.

 _*Error: Unknown Name* Safe Room Found!_

"Huh," Yume mutters, toying with her phone a bit. "Is it an error because I live here, or because I went into the other world here?"

 _Or because it was never supposed to be a safe room at all?_

Yume leaves the other world and writes down her questions on a piece of paper.

Questions like, 'what is a safe room?'.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: The song used for Spike's ringtone is Last Surprise, composed by Shoji Meguro, lyrics written by Benjamin Franklin, and sung by Lyn Inaizumi. I had nothing to do with it.**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Yume…"

The little girl looks up from packing her dance bag and smiles. "Hello Ms. Okumura."

Haru's shoulders relax and she smiles back. "How are you?"

"Good." Yume zips up her bag and shoulders it. She can see the older girl's mirth; the bag looks twice as big as the tiny girl when it's stuffed. "How was it in the larger studio?"

The larger studio is where the older kids are supposed to practice. Haru's group was moved in there for the week while Makoto and Miwa's group came back to help the younger girls with their forms again. It is likely the older and experienced will go back to practicing there until closer to the recital. When the time draws closer, the three groups will rotate turns in the room.

"Lots of fun," Haru whispers, ducking her head to hide the wide smile. "They have us practising promenades for part of the recital dance."

"That sounds like fun," Yume coos. "We're still doing stretches and demi plie positions."

"I remember that," Haru says, eyes trailing over Yume's shoulder. "It's better to get them right now, rather than have bad habits."

"That sounds like something they say," Yume says, subtly pointing to the instructors.

Haru giggles and turns her eyes back to the girl. "We had an instructor last year who used to say that all the time. She teaches the high school girls now, so be thankful you don't have to hear that every minute!"

Yume giggles, pausing when she hears some raise voices behind her. She – and every other girl – turn to see two girls in Haru's group bickering. And instructor eventually goes over and breaks them up, saying something about it being 'a mistake', and 'bound to happen to friends every now and then'. When Yume looks back at Haru, there's an irate look in the older girl's eyes.

"Is that them?" Yume hisses seriously. She takes another, long look at the girls while she pretends to adjust her bag.

"Yes," Haru says sadly. That look is still in her eyes, but shifts towards thoughtful when she looks at Yume. "Would you… would you mind waiting with me outside? Just until I get picked up?"

"I would love too!" Yume chirps, shifting closer to the older girl. Her bag makes a good blockade for Haru and her. "Lead the way!"

Haru smiles and does so. Yume waves at Miwa, who smiles and waves back.

The little girl doesn't comment when Haru tenses at the doorway; eyes of the instructors on the two girls as they leave. The other girl doesn't comment when Yume lifts her bag impossibly higher, shifting just that bit closer, blocking the door for a second so Haru can disappear from view and no one knows which way to follow her.

Haru isn't much taller than Yume, but both can round the corner fast enough to lose whoever wished to trail them.

"…Can I try to spit ball them?" Yume breaks the silence.

Haru turns to her, eyes wide and face worried. But that thoughtful, pleased glint is there. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I don't want anyone to get in trouble with the teachers."

Yume smiles innocently. There's a good pang in her chest, knowing that Haru cares. "Alright."

Haru wraps an arm through the younger girl's free one. She tows Yume to the front of the building, and then down the streets. They stop at a corner, Haru turning her head all around to look for something.

"Do you normally wait here for someone?" Yume asks, looking around the semi-busy intersection.

"Yes," Haru says quietly, frowning. "They are normally late, thought."

"Oh," Yume says, hugging the arm Haru holds to her chest. "Well, can I keep you company until they come all the time?"

Haru goes stiff, turning to look wide eyed at the girl. Yume still hugs the arm to her chest. The older girl leans in and hugs her with her free arm. "I would love that."

"Yay!" Yume cheers against Haru's chest. When the older finally let's go, Yume keeps a grip on her arm. "I'm usually alone to go home too."

"Do you need a ride?" Haru says, apprehension flashing on her face.

Yume quickly shakes her head, and Haru looks relieved. "I live around here, but thank you. It will be nice having someone to talk to after lessons."

No matter that this is two blocks further from the little girl's home. Haru looks happy, and that's all that matters.

Before than can talk further, a horn blares and the girls startle towards it. A black limousine slowly pulls up. Once stopped, someone runs out to open the door, greeting, "Ms. Okumura."

Internally, Yume whistles. Now those girls being forced to be Haru's friends make sense. Her parents must be loaded, and prissy controlling parents do sometimes flock their children together. She makes a note to look up the last name later. Sure, Okumura _sounds_ familiar, but Yume thought it was probably one of those common names. Apparently, she was wrong. Rich person name. Good to know.

Outwardly, Yume asks the very innocent question any four year old who never had any rich expenses should ask. "Is that some kind of car?"

The person at the door chokes while Haru shrugs and answers. "I think so."

"It's a really long car," Yume states the obvious. She bends down, carefully using her bag not to over balance. "Does it have eight wheels like the big cars?"

"No," deadpans the person at the door. Haru tenses and moves quickly towards the door person. "Which family do you hail from?"

Yume has to secretly pinch herself to not laugh. _Who even says it like that_? "I'm Yume!"

"She's my friend," Haru says, shaking as she meets the door person's eyes.

Yume feels her face split into a wide smile.

The person hums and nods. "Does your father know about Yume?"

"No," Haru says, slowly edging towards the door.

The person hums again. "Does Yume need a ride?"

"Iie!" Yume shakes her head. Then she does a quick bow. "Thank you for the offer! Have a great day, Haru!"

"Bye, Yume," the girl says quietly, her look conveying relief.

The door person with their eyebrows raised looks between the girls, but says nothing else. Once Haru is in, they return to the seat beside the driver. Yume waves at the tinted windows until the limo is out of sight.

"Okumura," Yume mutters, walking towards the dance studio. "O-ku-mur-a." She shakes her head frowning. "Nothing."

It's one of her biggest problems. Yume has never been an auditory learner. Kinesthetic and visual learning, absolutely. She likes to _do_. She likes to _see_. It's interesting, since she can hear and differentiate sounds easily in a chaotic room. But hearing sound and processing sound are a lot different. She can hear a word over and over without it sticking unless she's deemed it _deathly important_. Writing out her words or thoughts leaves an imprint in her mind, so she knows the knowledge is _there_.

Visual cues are the winner. Yume doesn't forget a face. If she sees a word, she'll recognize it as important, familiar, or can visualize the object. It was something she trained, back in her last life. Key words, distinguishing angles, habits; things that kept her afloat in the world's underlife. Working for the police for a decade only fostered those skills.

The names Okumura and Niijima trigger something in her mind, but she can't remember and hasn't bothered to look up why just yet.

And speaking of Niijima…

"What are you doing here?" Makoto says from her seat on the stairs.

"Walking home," Yume says, head tilting to give the utter look of innocence. "Are you waiting for someone, Ms. Niijima?"

Makoto's shoulders curl a bit and she looks at the busy road. "Yes. My father and sister."

Yume nods, shifting her big bag. "Are they coming sometime soon?"

The older girl's eyes dart to the sidewalk in front of her, fists clenching. "They will be late today."

Yume wants to know why this type of thing happened twice today. Haru said her driver was always late; Ms. Niijima too? "Would you be alright if I sit with you until they come?"

Makoto looks up sharply, eyes filled with surprise. "No. Not at all."

"Thank you," Yume says, letting her bag drop with an over exaggerated 'ooh'. Makoto looks on, worried. Yume sits down beside the girl, giving the –surprisingly – shy girl a smile. "I'm Yume!"

"Niijima Makoto," the older girl introduces, belatedly sticking out a hand. Yume shakes it, slightly surprised. "Ms. Takado helps you, doesn't she?"

"Ee!" Yume nods. "Miwa is really nice and very helpful! She is a good instructor!"

Makoto looks slightly confused when Yume uses 'instructor' instead of 'teacher' or 'mentor'. The older girl looks back at the sidewalk again. "I'm glad to hear that."

"You are a good instructor, too," Yume says earnestly. Even though she hasn't seen Makoto teach, that many tiny ballerinas following her lead mean she can't be bad. "Lots of my group love you."

Makoto gets a small smile on her face, letting her hair drop forward to cover it. "Thank you. You don't have to stay here, Yume. My father and sister won't be here for another hour."

 _Hold up, what?_

"Then let's get ice cream!" Yume cheers, springing to her feet. She pretends she isn't pissed off at the thought of Makoto doing this every day. Does the older girl do this every day? "Or cake! I've got treat money, and sweets are better with others!"

Makoto actually looks pained at the thought. "It's almost dinner…"

"If you don't like sweets, we can get some healthy stuff," Yume offers a little less enthusiastic. "There's a market to blocks away. We can buy some oranges and bring them back here."

The older girl looks so excited, before her gaze nervously turns to the road. "I don't know if I should leave…"

"Then I'll grab some for you," Yume insists. "Aren't you hungry?"

Makoto smiles a little. "You don't have to do that."

"I want to," Yume says quietly, grabbing her large bag. "If you agree, I will buy two oranges. If you aren't here when I come back, I get both. If you are here, we split them."

Makoto looks hesitantly relieved. "I don't have anything to pay you back."

Yume shakes her head. "Iie! They are my treats to buy, so I decide who eats them!" She starts jogging backwards before the older girl can protest. "I'll be back! Ten minutes!"

The vendor she buys from is someone who knows she dances through the week. They make sure she has a good grip on the plastic bag - saying the dance bag would squish them – before sending her off with a few kind words. Makoto almost looks shocked when the younger girl comes; whether from the speedy return or her returning at all, Yume doesn't know.

"These are good," Yume says after her first piece of orange. Makoto, already through half of hers, agrees with a hum. "Do you normally wait out here after lessons, Ms. Niijima?"

"Yes, but it's not usually this long," Makoto admits. "My sister has a kickboxing tournament coming this weekend and my birthday's this week. Father is taking extra shifts to be able to take those days off."

"When's your birthday?" Yume asks around an orange slice.

"April 23," Makoto says proudly. Yume calculates as she swallows. It's this Friday. "I will be six."

"Congratulations," Yume cheers. "Are you excited to start school next year?"

"Yes," Makoto says. "My sister says it is a lot of fun. I am excited to start learning."

"Will you continue dancing?" Yume asks, curious.

Makoto looks at her orange peel, almost embarrassed. "I don't think so. I want to start Aikido this summer. The teacher my dad wants me to have only takes those six or older."

Yume 'ahh's in understanding. "Good luck. That sounds really cool!"

Makoto nods, finishing her orange. Yume places the peels in a pile, assuring the older girl that she can handle throwing them away. They talk more about Makoto's upcoming birthday. The younger girl gets a couple, simple gift ideas to give the older girl. If all else fails, Yume will just get her some healthy snacks.

"When is your birthday?" Makoto asks, chin lightly resting on hand.

Yume's answer is cut off by a horn honking, startling the girls. Makoto quickly leaps to her feet when she recognizes the car. "I'm so sorry, Yume, but I have to go."

"It's alright," Yume waves her off, standing up and helping the older girl when Makoto's bag strap gets tangled and won't slip on. "Have a great day, Ms. Niijima!"

"Bye!" Makoto waves, hurrying to the car. She scrambles in, and the car takes off as soon as her door closes.

"Huh," Yume states, watching the police cruiser go out of sight. "I should really look up her last name."

Because befriending Sojiro was one thing. Befriending a cop's daughter is a whole 'nother story.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Yume begins her Tuesday night researching a couple surnames. She starts with Okumura.

"I am an idiot," Yume groans, head hitting the area beside the keyboard.

Okumura Foods is one of the largest food brands in Japan, and has been since the last decade of its second president. The third president, Haru's father, created a chain of fast food restaurants called Big Bang Burger a few years before Haru's birth. While Okumura Foods isn't exactly considered a worldwide name, Big Bang Burgers is slowly working towards that. The reborn girl's problem with the whole situation is that she didn't realize Haru's surname is on the corner of her cereal brand.

If she missed something this obvious, Yume doesn't want to know what else she's missing.

Niijima comes up with a name of a cop from one of the lesser corrupt precincts. This search restores Yume's faith in her skills, because she only glanced at the name when she was searching for the names of easy-to-pay-off cops; just in case things went sour fast. There are none in Niijima's precinct, which is both good and bad. Good for obvious reasons; bad because Yume doesn't have an adult to claim as her babysitter yet. She'll need to stay a good distant from Makoto's father until she can get an alibi.

Yume sighs and covers her tracks. After a dinner break, she does one quick hack into another nearby database. Ms. Eguchi isn't back from the hospital and the girl's curious. A simple check into the records show what she wants.

 **Eguchi Midori**

A healthy baby girl.

 _Hitoshi even made it in time to be named godfather over Jiro_.

Yume easily covers up her online fingerprints once again. She sits back and sips her juice box, flexing her fingers.

 _I love that the internet-security crackdown hasn't happened yet. Everything is so simple when your skills are more advance than time._

Yume puts the juice box down and starts into the red-eye app code once again. She definitely doesn't go into this without every precaution raised. Even if it seems the maker of the app – human, demon, or other – didn't care about adding any security, there's no point risking her life by letting them find out what she's doing.

 **Treasure Hoard**

 _Now that's an interesting name._

The Treasure Hoard is actually a list of names, locations, and key words. She can narrow the locations down to Japan, and then has to switch searches.

 _Why is_ _'Dark Hour' a key word? Better yet, 'Midnight Channel'?_

The words make her brain itch, but she ends up ignoring them and scrolls far down. They don't take place in her city, so she doesn't have more than a passing interest. Besides, there are a lot more 'locations' in Tokyo than outside of it. 'Hayao Genis; Tokyo: Side Street; Nightclub' is one, and the girl can guess which side street it means. In fact, almost all those places she saw last night have a name on this list.

The name Okumura appears, too. Haru's father has a castle. Yume blinks at the date his castle was added, and then scrolls up a little. The list isn't ordered by anything telling, which means the author must have something else updating this log. Yume hesitates for a few seconds, and then digs a bit deeper.

 _Okumura Kunikazu is lower on the list because he has a weak dungeon_.

"So Haru should be safe," Yume mutters, backing out and eyeing the list at a new angle. She doesn't like the thought of the older girl so close to this… but Haru is showing a spine. Yume will step in and help the girl if anything changes. Scrolling to the very top, she frowns. "Now, who to avoid…?"

' **The Public Opinion; Under the Earth; Mementos'**

Yume blinks.

Rubs her eyes.

Blinks again.

"Well, the sheeple have spoken," Yume says with a nervous laugh. As its third down from the top, it is terrifying that _the public_ have a collective dungeon. She shouldn't have expected easier from a Persona world. She should be glad it isn't _worse_. And of course the top name on the list is different from the rest. She makes a written note to never visit Tatsumi Port Island and surrounding areas, just in case. "I don't even want to know what the white dot means. Like, no thanks." She scrolls down and covers the first log – the 'Dark Hour' log – and goes back to reading. "Not worth it."

As long as the public is third on the list, should she really be scared about the white dot beside the first log? Should she be scared about the 'Midnight Channel' being second on the list?

"They don't take place here," Yume says fervently, trying to reassure herself. "I don't need to worry about them."

But, barely five minutes into reading the other dungeons, she scrolls to the top again and stares at the top three strongest places in Japan's otherworld. Yume swears loudly as everything comes together in her head. She swears once again for good measure.

"Personas three and four," Yume says out loud, blinking at the screen. "This place has already had at least two end-of-the-world scenarios." She swears again. "Three and four. And probably five, six, seven… oh my gosh. I'm going to die. Again."

She tries to rack her brain for answers, head only being held up by her hands. She pulls her hair in frustration. It's one thing to think there's a plot. It's different knowing the world is ending and she can't do anything about it.

"Okay, that's dramatic," Yume says, trying to calm her breathing. She takes her sweet time getting out of that demonic database before she starts falling apart. "Deep breath. These protagonists have it. These _high schoolers_ have it."

Yume curls up on her couch, digging her nails into her bandaged road rash until the pain snaps her back into reality.

 _The world isn't ending_ , Yume tells herself. Persona five was a game made in her last life, so the world didn't end. Rumours of Persona six were out there, so this world wouldn't end. It hasn't and won't be ending. _This isn't Shin Megami Tensei_. The girl laughs a little hysterically at the thought. _This is Persona. You defy those stronger than you, you_ _ **win**_ _. You play it smart, you play it_ _ **true**_ _. You save the world; you make it to the_ _ **end**_ _._

"I can do this," Yume cries quietly, head burying into her knees. "The world hasn't ended, and it won't end. They won't let it end."

The 'they' in question are the high schoolers. Kids who never should have dealt with world-ending problems of this magnitude. The people with friendships and romances, with guns and magic. People who… aren't her.

 _But I wasn't going to be them anyways_ , Yume thinks darkly, tucking her knees further to her chest. _I was going to take loot and sell that online for a living. I was going to do things I couldn't do last life._

 _I still am._

Except now, Yume is preparing to survive past the next world-ending crisis.

Persona Three.

 _Sometime before 2010. Look for a corporation that sponsors extremely specific school activities._

Persona Four.

 _2011; small rural murder town._

Persona Five.

 _The one that takes place in Tokyo._

The longer she thinks about it, the surer Yume is. She won't get involved. She won't leave her little niche in Tokyo if she doesn't have to. There's no reason to get involved. Everything worked out fine in the games. The protagonists will win, because that is what they do. Nobody needs her.

 _And if I meet Tetsuya, oh well_ , Yume nods to herself, picking at her bandage. _I'm four years old. It's more likely I'd be stuck in some hospital then part of the team. A dying, motivation character. A martyr._

She isn't going to take that.

 _Screw them all._

Yume wipes angrily at her eyes.

 _To all you blank-slate jerks, I'm Yume. I'm not dying so you get motivated to win._

Her gaze fastens to computer.

 _I won't let anyone decide my fate but me. No cops, no heroes, no other worldly creature._

She sits it down and boots up her usual programs. Carefully, she adds spending money to her parents' forgotten credit card.

 _I'm going to have fun._

She looks up locations for second-hand shops and cheap, don't-ask-questions, equipment.

 _I'm going to make long lasting friendships._

She goes to bed with her head held high against the nightmares waiting for her.

 _I'm going to cheat my way through whatever 'game' gets thrown in my direction._

Yume chuckles, settling into bed. She's never been accused of cheating at life before. Can the Velvet Room members press charges? Is it cheating if she doesn't know the rules beforehand?

Is it cheating if she isn't a player?

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Shin Megami Tensei . All rights of belongs to its respective owners.**

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep the speedy updates, but I'll keep trying! Again, thank you so much for your review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Yume doesn't normally do long runs in the morning. Especially runs through the park. Unfortunately, to get to the shops she wants the easiest way is through said park. So, Wednesday morning Yume greets store owners as she jogs. She plans the route in her head: cut through the park, three blocks up, one block left, and she's at the second-hand store. She should have an hour in the store, maximum, before she has to run back to her apartment in order to keep her sleep schedule _and_ make it to dance in the afternoon.

Seeing Ryuji is a surprise.

"Hey!" he shouts back at her call. He waves like crazy until she gets a few steps away from him. "What are you doing here?"

"Errands," Yume makes a face. Ryuji grunts in understanding. A few kids beside him look between them with confusion. "What about you?"

The kid jerks a thumb towards some kids sprinting to the wall and back. "Mom's put me in baseball lessons this time. We do some training here on Wednesdays."

"Awesome," Yume says; her plans for the morning slipping away as she moves up the line of kids with the dark haired boy. "Do you play any games here?"

"Not on Wednesdays," Ryuji grumbles. The he brightens. "Hey, you should totally do our sprints!"

Yume blinks, eyes glancing up and down the line of people. She's, surprisingly, not the shortest one here. She fidgets, feeling slightly nervous at all the eyes turning on her. "Is that alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ryuji asks with a big grin. "You can totally destroy Jiro! He got the best time last week!"

"She's a _girl_ ," a boy sneers from a few feet ahead of them. "We don't get timed against them."

Ryuji deflates. "Oh. Yah."

Yume feels something protective-like twist in her chest. Ryuji, from the few hours they've interacted, doesn't seem like the kind of boy to get unhappy over that. She puts her hands on her hips and stares defiantly at the snobbish boy who doesn't want a _girl_ running with the guys. "Says who? I'm not even in your class. The rules don't apply to me."

"But the teachers only pair up boys with boys," Ryuji says, shoulders still slumped.

"I'm not in your class," Yume points out again. She smiles winningly at her sort-of friend. "I can just go beside the line and race him."

Ryuji slowly matches her grin. He turns to the other boy. "Hear that, Jiro? You got yourself a challenge!"

Jiro still doesn't look all that impressed by Yume. And that's fair. Yume is small for a four year old. Almost too skinny. Looks like a stiff breeze could blow her over. Jiro huffs and nods anyways. "Alright, alright. Just don't get caught by the teachers."

"Ee!" Yume nods. "Sounds good to me!"

"Yes!" Ryuji exclaims, jumping with energy. He sticks out a hand, and Yume smiles a little wryly as she high-fives him. "Oh, sorry guys. This is- er."

"Yume!" the girl greets the other boys and a couple girls. She flies away their names, making sure to greet each one. Ryuji huffs when introductions stretch on so long, they reach the instructors before he can get her attention again. "Good luck, Jiro."

"Kick his butt, Yume!" Ryuji encourages, fist pumping the air. Yume flashes him a thumbs up and quickly moves around the back of the instructors. "Come on guys, cheer. She's really good at running."

Jiro sends her another look when she gets set a few feet beside, and behind, him. The instructors look over, but don't do anything. She gets set, eyes zeroing on the far wall. The sounds fall away as she waits for the word.

"Ready boys? And… go!"

Yume takes off.

The other boys are all taller than her. Their four and five year old legs get more reach, and they all start off ahead of her. Yume's legs move faster. Halfway there, she steadies at their speed. Her heart pounds, her breathing comes quicker, and she leans forward more. Her hands are clenched fists as she pumps her arms.

As the wall gets closer, a few of the boys slow up. Jiro straightens, edging slower. Yume overpasses them, counting down the steps in her head. Her strides get longer. There is a shift in balance, and then she jumps.

Her body twists in the air, eyes locked on the wall over her shoulder. She brings one foot up, and lets the other fall behind her. Her back foot slips into place, taking the brunt of force. Yume grunts and throws a hand behind her to help push off the wall. Her other foot lands, and she shoves off. With a roll on the ground, Yume springs up and sprints back.

Jiro is already running back; not having touched the fence.

Anger thrums through her and she _sprints_. Her eyes lock on Ryuji's yellow shirt, the world blurring around her. Her maybe-friend jumps and shouts, and she can hear his encouragement even if the words don't process.

" _Run faster! You can do it, Yume!_ "

She is three feet behind Jiro when he jerks into her path. Yume would scream her frustration out if she had any breath. Jiro even looks over his shoulder. She sees him smirk when he turns back around.

 _If you're going to cheat_ , Yume thinks through the pounding in her head, _then I am too_.

" _Jiro, get out of her way! Move! … Yume, run through him!"_

 _You got it_.

She starts lengthening her strides again, shifting her balance lower. Jiro takes another look over his shoulder, and then quickly snaps his head forward. Yume puts her head down, gaze still on Ryuji's yellow shirt, and _charges_.

Jiro stumbles when she slides past him. In the time it takes him to regain his speed, Yume's five steps from the finishing line.

"Yes!" Ryuji shouts, grabbing the girl after she runs over the line. Yume squeaks as they spin around. Dizzy and out of breath, she slumps to the ground. The boy cheers above her. "Take that, Jiro! Hey, guys, did you see that? Teachers, what was her time?"

"It doesn't count," Jiro sneers, out of breath as he sits down beside Yume. He looks slightly impressed, but also rather angry. "You aren't in the class, so you didn't _really_ beat me."

Yume shrugs, too tired to remark back. _Whatever makes you sleep at night, kid._

Ryuji looks outraged for her. "Dude, it doesn't matter! She kicked your butt, even after you cut her off! Why'd ya do that?"

"I didn't realize I cut her off," Jiro says easily, standing up and looking darkly at Ryuji. "So I didn't cheat, _Sakamoto_."

 _I call bull on all that_ , Yume thinks, standing up and putting her between the boys. She crosses her arms and stares blankly at Jiro. The boy glares at her, but gladly runs to the instructors when they call the best times from the groups over. "Don't run into me again."

"She didn't run into you!" Ryuji shouts at the boy's back. He huffs and kicks a rock. Yume turns and blinks curiously at the sulking boy. "Jiro's stupid, thinking he can get away with everything 'cause he's _so_ good at baseball."

"Thank you," Yume says, still a little breathless. Ryuji looks up, confused. "For standing up for me. Thank you."

"Yah, it's no big deal," Ryuji shrugs. He doesn't realize how much it means that he stood up for her, not that Yume expected him to. "Thanks for racing Jiro. Hopefully now the others won't follow his every word."

"They do that?" Yume asks. At his nod, she snorts. "That's weird. He doesn't seem very nice."

"He's not," Ryuji says. Something behind her catches his eyes and he waves. "Hey, guys! Come over here!"

Three boys come join their little circle, and immediately congratulate the girl. Yume thanks them, and then listens thoughtfully as they complain about the teachers giving real baseball drills to the older kids while they're stuck running laps for the next hour.

"It's not fair," one of the boys says. "Why don't _we_ get to play baseball?"

Yume stays and chats with them for a little longer before she explains she has to go. They nod unhappily and go to start their laps, adults not even paying attention. Ryuji hangs back, looking hesitant. "Will you be here this Sunday?"

"Ee!" Yume nods, smiling widely until he relaxes and smiles back. "I'll be here most of the afternoon."

"Great!" Ryuji says, starting to jog backwards. "Bye Yume! See you Sunday!"

Yume waves and walks back towards her apartment. She needs the nap before dance class. It's always possible to search the second-hand store tomorrow. Seeing Ryuji and meeting new people was worth more than getting an outfit. Now she knows what to do on Wednesday mornings. And she'll have to learn the names of the baseball group's instructors. The favouritism – and neglect – is rather gross to watch.

;;;

"That was awesome," Yume coos to Miwa. The older girl smiles and bows dramatically. The younger kids run up to their child-teachers, leaving the two off to the side of the classroom. "Do you think we can learn those moves for our part?"

Miwa pats the girl's head, making Yume squawk and try to straighten her messed-up ponytail. "You won't do the larger jumps for another year at least. How good are you on your toes?"

"Not that good yet," Yume says, dejectedly.

Miwa nods. "Only the best of your group will learn the parts for the front row. Don't be sad if you get put in the back, I think it's the most important!"

Yume can't help but think that sounds rehearsed. "Is that what the instructors say?"

"The one teaching high school says so," Miwa says with a quick nod. "But she's really good; almost all of her older students got into collage last year! That's why she doesn't teach us anymore."

Yume nods, hiding the faint interest buzzing under her skin.

"Alright, girls!" the instructor of Yume's group calls out. "That's it for today!" Yume zones out as the speech about practicing and following the older girl's examples is repeated once again.

 _Almost like an NPC script_.

Yume shakes her head to clear the thought. Jokes like that are only good when in the right mindset. She doesn't need to be questioning reality.

"What are you doing today, Miwa?" Yume asks, following the girl to the change room.

"I have a dentist appointment." Miwa makes a face. "How about you?"

"Ms. Eguchi should be home today," Yume says, flinching at the unintentional bitterness in her own tone. Lighter, she says, "Her oldest son has a baby girl now."

"Oh," Miwa coos, changing into her day clothes. "What's her name?"

"Midori," Yume says. Quickly she throws on pants and one of her father's hoodies. She doesn't feel like changing today, even though she has time. "She isn't coming home from the hospital for another week, something about premature. I won't get to meet her for a long while…"

"I'm sure Ms. Eguchi has photos," Miwa tries to comfort the girl. Yume doesn't have the heart to tell the sweet mentor that the younger girl is just being a brat; jealous that the woman she looks up to and spent time with is away and focusing on another child. She isn't feeling abandoned; _sheisn'tsheisn'tsheisn'tshe-_ "Is she picking you up? Maybe we can beg her for pictures."

"Iie," Yume chirps, shaking her head. "Ms. Eguchi is still with her family at the hospital." And probably will be until visiting hours are over. And then staying at her middle child's house since it's the closest to the hospital. "I'm walking home today."

Miwa smiles and packs her things away. "Do you want to walk out with me?"

Yume pauses and looks over. She hesitantly nods, feeling her gut twist a little. "I can walk with you to the front?"

"Eh?"

"Ms. Okumura and I are going to wait for her ride again," Yume says with wide eyes and a cute smile.

Miwa pauses and looks over at the little girl, concerned. "Alright. We'll go to the front."

Yume lifts her less-stuffed bag and waves at Makoto as they pass. The older girl smiles shyly and waves back before she starts changing. Yume smiles widely, a skip in her step making Miwa giggle.

"Are you alright with Ms. Okumura?" Miwa eventually asks, quiet. Yume looks up, but the older girl won't look at her. "She isn't forcing you into anything, is she?"

Yume's eyes go wide with real surprise. "Iie! She is really nice and friendly. What… what would cause you to ask that?"

"Just rumors," Miwa sighs, shaking her head. She sends the small girl a smile. "Don't worry; I'm glad she's good to you. If she ever does anything you don't like, though, tell me. You don't have to hang out with her, okay?"

"I want to be her friend," Yume says, honestly. It is rather touching the older girl is taking her mentor job seriously. But Yume does like Haru. The image of the rich girl crying in the bathroom flicks through her mind. The girl who also looks for some acceptance. The older girl with an un-fostered vicious streak. "She is very nice. And small like me. We need to stick together."

Miwa lets out a small laugh and says her goodbye, still looking concerned for the girl. Yume gives her a hug and assures her Haru wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Miwa shakes her head, hugs her back, and leaves the building.

Yume backtracks to the large studio. She peeks inside, and then frowns at the sight of an unknown woman stalking up and down the rows of girls.

"You don't feel the pain," the woman snaps, her hand wrapping around a girl's arm and holding her steady. The girl looks dead tired, but sucks in a deep breath and seems to hold it. The woman releases the girl and continues her march. "You will hold that pose. You will practice these positions until you get them right. It's better to get them right now, than have bad habits later, girls."

Yume blinks, taking a good long look at the woman when the lady grabs another girl. Crooked nose made more obvious by the reading glasses. Short hair pulled into a tight ponytail. Face drawn in… not quite with anger, but definitely with irritation. Wearing a turtleneck, even though it's rather warm out.

Then again, Yume is wearing a sweater. She has no room to judge.

Yume waits beside the doorway for the class to end. Her frown doesn't quite leave until the woman snaps out they're done for the day. The girl doesn't under the woman's need to be rude about every command. The instructor stalks out of the room, not noticing the girl. Yume blinks, feeling confused about the whole thing.

"Ms. Okumura," Yume calls, sticking her head into the room. Haru's head snaps towards her direction, relief flashing on her face for a spit second. Haru quickly excuses herself from the girls crowding her and briskly walks towards Yume.

"You can call me Haru, Yume," the older girl mutters, leading the way to the change room. Yume smiles brightly, almost jogging to keep up. "How were your lessons?"

"Good," Yume answers, tugging her sleeves up to her elbows. She readjusts her bag, blocking Haru's back just as they round the corner. "How were yours? Your teacher seemed rather strict."

"Madam Himura just wants us to be our best," Haru says, not sounding too happy towards her teacher. "She normally teaches the afterschool girls, but today…"

Yume frowns and sits down as the older girl changes. "Is she allowed to grab you all like she did?"

"Er." Haru keeps her gaze focused on the bench as she puts on every day clothes. "I believe so. She is not bad. She is just trying to help."

Yume's teeth click together. That sounds so rehearsed Haru could win an Oscar.

Yume glances over at the older girl when Haru stills violently. Patting down her dress, Haru calmly asks, "What happened to your arm?"

Yume looks down, and fixes her bandages. "I tripped at the park the other day. It's just a bit of road rash. No need to worry."

Haru relaxes, nodding. She nudges the girl up, and they escape before the rest of Haru's group can get to the room. Haru pauses at the front of the building, and Yume peeks around to see why.

"Hi, Ms. Niijima," Yume says with a bright smile. "Are you waiting for your family?"

"Hello, Yume," Makoto says with stiff politeness, eyes darting to Haru and back. "Ms. Okumura. Yes, I am waiting for them."

"Will they be by soon?" Yume asks. When Makoto shakes her head 'no', Yume whispers to Haru, "Can we invite her to stand with us?"

Haru's lips thin, but she nods.

Yume smiles winningly and walks up to Makoto. "Would you like to wait with us, Ms. Niijima?"

"Where?" Makoto answers quickly, eyes flickering to Haru again.

"A few blocks that way," Haru whispers, hand gripping Yume's sweater subconsciously. Yume reaches back and laces her hand with the older girl's giving it a squeeze.

Makoto looks between the two with uncertain hope.

"We'll come back after," Yume says, holding her free hand out for the girl. Her bag slides down her shoulder a little, but Yume doesn't move. "But if you really want to stay here, that's okay."

Makoto looks at the road, and then back at the girls. She grabs Yume's hand, and stands.

Yume pouts, looking at the older girls. "Why are you both taller than me…?"

Haru giggles and hugs the girl.

Makoto goes to release her hand, but Yume holds strong. The more experienced dancer tries to comfort the girl. "Er, well… you are younger…"

"It just makes her easier to hug, right Ms. Niijima?" Haru giggles.

"Sure," Makoto sweat-drops. "Well, uh, can you show us where to go, Ms. Okumura?"

"Just Haru, please," the rich girl says, releasing Yume. The younger girl huffs, gripping both their hands tighter. "It's this way."

Yume coaxes the girls into talking as they walk. Makoto is shy, while Haru is quiet, making a lot of dead-end conversations until Yume can get them chatting with each other. The topic that sticks is scary books. By the time Haru is picked up, all three have lists of recommendations.

"Thank you," Makoto says softly, picking apart the orange Yume ran and got her.

"For what?" Yume asks, orange hanging from her lips.

Makoto's lips twitch up and she hangs her head to cover the smile. "Introducing me to Haru, keeping me company, and this." She holds up the fruit.

Yume looks over, truly confused. "Of course. We're friends, right Ms. Niijima?"

Makoto smiles at the sidewalk. "Yes. We're friends." She peeks over at the girl. "So you can call me Makoto."

Yume's smiled so hard today that her cheeks. She nods quickly. "Un, Makoto!"

They sit and talk until Makoto has to run for her parent's vehicle again. Yume walks home, stopping to grab a few instant-dinners. As the clerk rings up the items, little Yume flexes her hands. The young girl lowers her head, wiggling her fingers in front of her eyes.

Futaba, Haru, Makoto. If she counts Maki, Miwa, Ryuji, and Sojiro, then that's more hand a handful of friends.

Yume smiles, ignoring the aching in her chest. There's a hole she knows won't be filled by these people, but the thought of new friends are a balm to the wounds left behind.

And one day, Yume hopes at least one of those people get a special place in her heart.

"Hey," a gruff voice says.

Yume looks up, eyes widening at the sight of Sojiro. "Hello Mr. Sakura!"

"Where have you been, kid?" the man grunts, just standing there, glowering at her.

Yume tilts her head. "Dance lessons."

"I know you have those," Sojiro snorts, waving the excuse away. "I mean why haven't you been coming by Leblanc for dinner? Or lunch, for that matter."

Yume's mouth opens and closes a few times. "I'm sorry."

He snorts again, expression softening. "Come join me for dinner, kid. Futaba's been asking about you, and I need some new stories to tell her."

"E _e_!" Her voice cracks and her cheeks hurt from smiling, but Yume can't stop as she throws her arms around the man's leg. "Thank you, Mr. Sakura!"

"Don't thank me, Yume," Sojiro grunts roughly, but she can hear the smile in his voice. "You don't know what Enomoto's got on the menu tonight. And we're only doing this if you'll spend the rest of the week eating dinner at Leblanc!"

"Ee, ee!" Yume agrees, releasing the man's leg when he pulls on her dance bag. She blinks in surprise when he takes both the clothing bag and food bag.

"I'm not keeping your sitter, am I?" he asks, eyebrows drawing together at the sight of the instant food.

Yume's heart skips a beat, and then she smiles widely and shakes her head. "Iie! Ms. Eguchi is supposed to be home tonight!"

She feels guilt spread through her as the man looks interested in the gossip. "Where's she been?"

So Yume tells him, leaving out the details she isn't supposed to know. They spend a nice, calm dinner together. The man walks her to the door of the apartment building, where she gives him one more hug and her thanks.

He gets down on one knee and pats her head. "Thank you for calming Futaba when she phoned. You can always call Wakaba or me if you need someone, alright?"

Yume shudders in a breath, throat closing. She chokes out an 'ee' with a nod, and then asks if she can get their numbers. He smirks and hands her a paper, already written with the numbers. He pats her again and tells her to stay safe.

And right then, Yume is sure he knows she doesn't have anyone but Ms. Eguchi checking up on her. She clutches the paper to her chest and memorizes the numbers. Yume looks up and watches until Sojiro is almost out of sight. Then he turns, and she waves and shouts her thanks.

He smiles and waves back.

Something in her chest relaxes. Her throat opens up. Her cheeks hurt from smiling, but she can't stop.

Not until, that night, she finds the one thing that could kick-start her involvement with the game.

' **Takara Himura; Tokyo: Ballet Studio; Cabaret'**

The medium-low level dungeon belonging to the high school girls' ballet instructor, Madam Himura.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! You're right; Yume has no idea who the real cast is. She's convinced that the main character is Tetsuya, because what she found on him fits her opinion of a Persona protagonist. How that will go for them, well… :) Thank you! I was worried about writing angst in multiple chapters, and I'm glad to hear it's liked! Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Thursday morning, Yume jogs to the second-hand store. Which means she has to go through the park.

Interestingly, there is a group of kids playing soccer this time. It's definitely another activity class. A few instructors look like dead-on-their-feet older students. Still, they are polite enough and actually show the kids drills when they aren't drinking from their extra-large coffees. Yume feels some sympathy for them. Seven thirty in the morning on a Thursday? She wouldn't have been up if she didn't feel the need to get organized as soon as possible.

'Get organized'. Like she's an RPG character preparing for a dungeon.

Yume shakes her head and picks up her pace. It's too early for these kinds of thoughts.

"Come on, Akechi!" one of the instructors shouts. "Those shoes'll have to do for now! Get over here!"

Yume half-heartedly looks over. A few of the kids and instructors glance as she jogs by, but they don't pay her any mind. Out of vague curiosity, she follows the loud instructor's gaze. Her eyes see the back of a kid struggling to tie his runners and-

 _-water and oil-_

-she trips.

The cool feeling down her spine doesn't dissipate right away. Yume tumbles, and then springs back up into a jog with only minor stings on her hands and knees. A couple kids whisper about her fall, but Yume doesn't pay them any mind. She stubbornly _does not_ look at the kid tying his shoes. Only when she's out of the park does the feeling fade.

Yume is left with a few questions. _What was that feeling_ is her main one.

It was neither an intense liking nor disliking. Her heart picked up a notch, and her body stalled. There was recognition, but not her usual sense of knowing. It was like what makes her an inhabitant of this world looked at the boy and felt a connection that wasn't a connection. They each have something that won't mix properly, and it was acknowledged in her very essence. _Water and oil_.

Yume walks the last block to the store, trying to still her shaking hands. It was scary. Something deep inside her felt _not him_ , and that was that. _Water and oil_. Now it's left to her to seek him out, avoid him, or wait for luck. And, while she isn't going back through the park today, she is most definitely coming back next Thursday.

Life may not be an RPG, but she's not going to miss a 'Possible Main Character Here' sign as obvious as that; no matter how terrifying an experience it was. Or maybe its life cutting her a break and giving her a real friend.

It could be nothing at all.

 _Or maybe_ , Yume thinks darkly, the bell above the door dinging when she steps in, _I'm not really in the Persona world and this is actually a start to a horror movie._

"Hello," says the sales clerk, very surprised to see someone this early in the morning. Or, more likely, very surprised to see a tiny girl all alone this early in the morning. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Yume gives her a wide smile and nods. "Hai!" She pulls out a list and lets the clerk take it. "Can you help me find these?"

"Certainly," the clerk replies with an easy smile. "Follow me; we get you a few backpacks to store the items."

Yume leaves the store with all items found and payed for with the forgotten credit card; the one with the babysitter money. After assuring the clerk that she will be fine carrying the items back by herself, Yume walks the long way home. It's a bit awkward carrying three backpacks – not including the bag-inception going on inside one pack – and keeping them from dragging, but she manages.

Yume relaxes when she's a block past the park. She didn't mean to tense. She won't avoid the park, but the lingering thoughts of the feeling – _water and oil_ – coming again have her twisting the backpack straps nervously.

The day passes normally. Little Yume, who waits and waits _and waits_ , is almost disappointed. No other shoe drops. She doesn't even see Madam Himura. Nothing strange happens.

"It's your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?" Yume asks Makoto while they wait at the corner. Haru looks over, interested.

Makoto nods and hums, smiling at the sidewalk.

"How old will you be?" Haru asks.

"Six," Makoto answers, sneaking a look at the other girls. "My father is going to pick me up right after dance ends."

"Aw," Yume pouts. "That's nice of him, but when should I give you your gift?"

Makoto startles. "What?"

"Your gift," Yume says, thinking of the item she bought at the store earlier. "I was going to give it to you when we were waiting tomorrow, but when would you like it?"

"You didn't have to get me anything," Makoto mumbles, eyes still wide.

"Yes I did," Yume grabs the other girl's hands. "We're friends. I got you a present." She then drops Makoto's hands and grabs Haru's arm. "When is your birthday?"

Haru blinks twice, mind obviously whirling. She distractedly says, "December the fifth."

"Hey!" Yume cheers, smiling widely and drawing their full attention to her. "My birthday's in December too!"

Before either girl asks, Haru's limousine rolls up. The driver gets out; opening the door and gives more cordial greeting to the girls then yesterday. Haru smiles a little giving her goodbyes with a thoughtful look aimed towards Makoto.

The brown haired girl convinces Yume not to run and grab food this time. They chat more about Makoto leaving dance, and how the older girl is excited to learn Aikido. Apparently her sister wasn't good at the activity and chose kick-boxing, and Makoto wants to make her father proud and learn what he grew up learning.

Yume doesn't ask about the mother, if there ever was one.

Around dinner time, Yume pauses at the door of Leblanc. Through the glass she can see Sojiro and Maki sitting at a table together. It takes her a moment, and then she pushes the door open.

"Hey, Yume," Sojiro says, eyes immediately cutting to the girl. "Come over here. Enomoto is taking his sweet time getting over here!"

"No need to shout!" the owner of the café shouts back. "Just a few more minutes!"

Sojiro rolls his eyes and then helps Yume up onto the bench. "I already ordered for you, kid, so I'm paying."

Yume flashes him a bright smile. "Thank you!"

"How have you been, Yume?" Ms. Eguchi asks.

Yume tries not to be so stiff when she turns to the woman – _Maki cares, she was with her family, it's okay, don't be a brat_ – and smiles. "I'm good, thank you! How is your son?"

The tired woman snorts, giving the girl a wiry smile. "It's his wife that did all the work. But they're good. I now have a cute little granddaughter to spoil."

 _She cares, you're okay, hold it together, don'tstartcrying-_

Sojiro stretches his arm over the back of the bench, over Yume's head. The girl subconsciously shuffles towards him, still with the smile aimed at the woman. "Yay! Will I get to meet her?"

"Probably not for a long while," Ms. Eguchi says with a tired sigh. She turns to Sojiro. "Nervous parents and Midori was a bit premature. I don't think _I'll_ get to babysit her for another month at the very least."

Yume falls silent, listening to the older woman gush about the new little girl in her family. She can feel Sojiro glancing at her from time to time, and smiles up at him once or twice to assure him. She and him eat quietly, both nodding in all the right places. Yume coos softly when it's required.

 _Feel happy for her_ , Yume tries to demand herself. _Miracle of life and all that. This is what it's come to; I'm jealous of an infant. It isn't right. I wasn't an only child last life. I shouldn't be like this._

"We've got to head out now, Maki," Sojiro says, nudging Yume out of the booth. The little girl yawns, and then blinks in surprised when he snags her hand. "Make sure you get some sleep tonight, you look tired."

" _Thanks_ ," Ms. Eguchi says with as much sarcasm as she can. "Have a goodnight, Yume."

"Bye Ms. Eguchi!" Yume chirps, her fingers gripping harder to Sojiro's.

"So, Yume," Sojiro says gruffly, "were you alone all last night?"

 _Yes_. "Iie!" Yume shakes her head. "But I was asleep."

Sojiro looks like he wants to ask, but his phone goes. He checks it, and then sighs. "Kid, you call either Wakaba or I if you're ever left alone at night. That's not a request."

"Ee!" Yume nods. _Not going to happen, but thank you Sojiro_. She hugs his leg when they stop in front of her building. "Thank you for dinner!"

Sojiro sighs and ruffles her hair, making her squawk. He chuckles and walks off, waving over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, kid."

Yume doesn't move until he's gone from sight. She returns to her apartment and starts going through her new supplies. When she goes to sort it on the low table, she finds the tickets and flyer for her dance recital. After a few moments, Yume picks them up and puts them with her tomorrow's dinner clothes. There's an emotion too similar to hope building in her chest when she does.

She goes to bed quickly after that, blaming her fatigue on stress.

 _It has nothing to do with procrastination._

It's just been a very emotional day.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! So… any thoughts?**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! More Sojiro! He cares, it just took him awhile to figure out how to show it. She'll get there, eventually. Yume's got the equipment, but now she's got to equip it… Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

* * *

 **Minor Edit: Dec 16, 2017**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Her heart beats too loud. Yume knocks softly on the rotted wood door. With shaky hands, she turns the knob. The girl slowly peeks in, and then breathes a sigh of relief.

 _Nothing_.

Yume leaves the door open and looks around the fiftieth concrete room she's scouted through. Her entire apartment building seems to be one big, rundown, concrete building under the red and black sky. Except for her living room. The error safe room.

Yume leaves room fifty and goes to the next apartment; room fifty one. She quickly glances at her phone, checking the time. There is enough time to search the rest of the building, not that it's expected to find anything. Better to be sure there is nothing crawling around then living in fear she's not the only inhabitant.

Yume slips her phone into the pocket on her backpack strap. She tightens her hair back, and then shifts the bandana over her face so that more holes are over her mouth. Able to breathe easier again, Yume slides up to the next door to repeat the tense moment of knocking.

She is going to enjoy having a nap after all this.

Yume's heartbeat slows again when she's faced with another, crumbling concrete room.

Fifty-one down, another twenty-four rooms to go.

Baby steps.

;;;

"Happy birthday, Makoto!" Yume says, shoving the wrapped box at the older girl.

Makoto gasps and startles, almost dropping it. "Er, thank you, Yume."

Yume ducks her head, hiding her smile. "Open it!"

Makoto smiles a little and does as told. Getting to the shoe box, she lifts the lid and falls silent. Yume fidgets, not risking a look at her friend's face.

"Thank you," Makoto says, lifting the butterfly clip to examine it. Then she swaps it for the headbands in the box, comparing it to her hair. "Where did you find these?"

"There was a store I visited," Yume says, fiddling her fingers. She glances up shyly. "Do you like it?"

"Yes," Makoto breathes, running her fingers over the butterfly clips again. She then surprises the little girl by giving a tight hug. "I really like them."

Yume hugs her back. "Good."

"We should go in," Makoto says, leaning back and sliding her bag off. She tucks away the gift, flashing the smaller girl a true smile. "I-"

"Wait!" Haru shouts, running up to them. She huffs and puffs, and practically runs into Makoto. "Here, Mako! Happy birthday!"

Makoto takes the gift in a daze. "Thank you Haru."

"I didn't know what you'd want," Haru admits, hugging her arms to her chest. "So if you don't like it, tell me and I can get you a different one."

Makoto's mouth drops open as she unravels a silk scarf. "Is this the scarf from the _Halloween Files_?"

"Ye-"

Haru is cut off by Makoto squeezing the life from her. "Thank you!"

"That's so cool!" Yume says, cooing over the scarf. The butterflies on the end of the scarf match the butterfly hairpins. Yume sends Haru a joking smile. "You'd almost think we'd planned this."

"What did you get Mako, Yu?" Haru asks. Makoto pulls out the shoe box and shows off her loot before tucking everything away. "Wow, that's so neat."

"Really have to go in now," Makoto says, heaving her bag up. "Thank you, both, so much. I love your gifts."

"You're welcome, Mako," Haru says while Yume nods and awkwardly loops her arm through the birthday girl's. "I guess this is goodbye. See you after class, Yume."

"Bye," Yume chirps, waving as Makoto starts to drag her away. "Do you like butterflies as much as Sugari likes them?"

Makoto brightens further, a small skip coming to her step. "No one likes butterflies like Sugari."

Yume nods like it's a perfectly acceptable answer, and not like she doesn't understand the reference to the books she didn't actually read. The girl only looked up _Halloween Files_ back when she first got the book list from her friends.

 _When you can't meme like the rest of them…_

Little Yume giggles.

;;;

The paper is slapped on his desk. Tetsuya looks up from his book, blinking owlishly at the teenager. Slowly, he looks from her smug face to the paper. Under her fingers, he can read that this is a letter. He snaps back to her face; her smug expression growing at his disbelief.

"You got an invite," he states the obvious, eyes lighting up.

"We," the eighteen year old tilts her head back and fans herself with the letter, "are now taking a week-long school trip to the marine center next month."

"Have I ever told you that you're my favourite, Sadayo?" Tetsuya says seriously.

"Flattery gets you nowhere," Sadayo says, smirk still stretching across her face. "I take all bribes in the form of chocolates and cakes."

He is rummaging through his school bag before she finishes. Her smirk drops at the sight of the slice of chocolate cake he slides to her. "I was kidding."

"I know," Tetsuya replies, pushing the cake closer to her. "I told you before I wouldn't do this for nothing."

"Defeating Kejiro would have satisfied me enough," the young woman says, grabbing a chair and sitting down. She takes the fork he offers in exchange for the letter. "A week was all I could get us. And believe me, I tried to extend it. There is only so much sea life our grade can be forced to see before they say enough."

"We'll be fine," Tetsuya says, not mentioning the nerves churning away in his stomach. While she digs into the cake, he reads the letter.

"I never realized how much I counted on Hitoshi," Sadayo says between bites. She swallows and continues. "And now no Mary, since she can't swim. When was the last time we didn't have our Navi?"

"We'll be fine," Tetsuya says again. He looks up and smiles slightly to reassure her. "We'll just have to work a bit harder."

"What a pain," Sadayo sighs.

"Where's our cake, Sadayo?"

Sadayo protectively covers her food, glaring at the newcomers. "Get your own."

The blond high schooler smirks at Sadayo and pulls up a seat behind Tetsuya while the black teen laughs at them. The blond looks over his teammate's shoulder and raises an eyebrow. "So, we've got an in to the next palace, do we?"

"Thank _good_ ness," the other male says, resting his head in his hands. "I could _not_ take one more day at Check-In Hotel."

"No Kayo, Mary, or Hitoshi," the blond mutters, face darkening. "We'll have to stock up if we don't want to draw attention at the marina."

"Hiroki's right," Tetsuya mutters, handing the letter over. "Has anyone seen Tae?"

"Still studying," the blond mutters, handing the letter to the next teammate. "Can we please get something out of the vending machines this time? Her remedy experiments are gross."

"We could ask Tristan instead," Tetsuya smirks as he offers. The others snicker at how fast Hiroki turns that down. "Now, does someone want to go get Tae?"

"I'll get her," says the tall teen.

"Thank you, Daichi," Tetsuya waves after his friend. He then leans back, forgotten homework in the corner of his vision. "Hey, Hiroki, has Munehisa talked about accepting the trinkets we find?"

"No," the blond shrugs. "Just the metals only. I take it we're going to the Mementos again?"

"What _can_ we do with broken jewelry?" Sadayo says bitterly, finishing her cake. "Or damaged carvings, for that matter. We must be nearing the bag's item limit by now."

"We'll find something we can sell him," Tetsuya says with certainty. "We always do."

;;;

"She's rather mean," Yume says as she waits for Haru to change.

"She's just strict," Haru protests quietly. The girl hikes up her changing bag, shoulders curling further when the few girls in her group look over. Yume hops up and uses her bag as a buffer. "Madam Himura just wants what is best for us."

That sounds so fake it isn't funny.

"I don't like the way she teaches you guys," Yume says, frowning. She sneakily pushes over a girl's shoes as she and Haru walks for the door. "Why is she mentoring your group?"

"She will for every group before the recitals. You'll see; she isn't so bad."

A little thought goes forefront in Yume's mind. If a woman with a mid-list dungeon isn't bad, what does Haru go through at home with her low-list father? Is there someone worse the older girl knows? Someone with a higher leveled dungeon?

A small shriek causes them to stop at the doorway. They, and everyone, look over as a girl starts screaming at her friend, since it was the friend's shoe she tripped over. Haru's eyes take on that excited gleam while the mask of a concerned child turns to Yume.

Yume bites her tongue hard to keep from smiling. She turns an innocent look to her friend. "I can't say I'm looking forward to having her as an instructor."

"Why do you call them that?" Haru says, smile breaking free as soon as they are out of sight of her ex-friend's yelling match. "'Instructor' and not 'teacher' or 'mentor'?"

"I do not understand all honorifics," Yume admits. "And I was taught to only use _teacher_ or _mentor_ if I respect them."

Haru glances over again, that gleam still in her eyes. "What about when you will speak to Madam Himura?"

"Madame or missus," Yume says, though she would really rather call the woman _signora_.

"French?" Haru asks "And… English?"

"Un!" Yume nods.

"Do you know French?" Haru asks, excited.

Yume hesitates, not wanting to disappoint the older girl. But really, she knows enough French to book a hotel and makes up the rest. "Not really. I understand more English."

"Oh," Haru nods, lips pursing. "I can… teach you some French. If you want?"

"Ee!" Yume nods quickly. When they stop at the street corner, Yume turns and bows. "Teach me your ways, mentor."

Haru laughs in between making Yume promise to _never_ call her that again.

;;;

Yume and her French alphabet stick around the building until the first school-age students start to arrive. Three-forty-five, so the classes must start around four. Next week the girl plans to check out the class, see how the instructor differs in teaching older kids.

Right now, she has to work up the nerve to attend dinner.

Yume crosses her arms instead of clenching and unclenching her fists. The papers are already somewhat crumpled, no need to stress it further. Her fidgets get more and more in volume the longer she waits at the door of Leblanc. The fact that she is early does not help the nerves eating her from the inside out.

"Yume."

Said girl goes ramrod straight and jerks her head up. Sojiro smiles down at her and she's almost jealous at how relaxed he looks.

 _It will be okay_ , Yume pep talks silently. _It isn't the end of the world. Spit it out_.

"Hey, kid," Sojiro says, snapping her out of it. His smile is gone, replaced by a vaguely concerned expression. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Yume squeaks out, unconsciously white-knuckling the papers. "Hi Mr. Sakura. It's good to see you."

"Right," he deadpans, opening the door for her. "That's why you look like you're about to be sick."

Yume can't help her eyes being wide or her skin being pale. They're just automatic reactions when fighting to express real, jittery emotions.

"Two plates of today's special," Sojiro says to Mr. Enomoto. Then he helps the girl into the booth seat before sitting across from her. Yume barely breathes as he stares at her. "Now, what's wrong?"

Yume gulps and forces her fists to unclench, dropping the papers on the table. Sojiro curiously picks up one, eyebrows rising as he reads. "A dance recital?"

"Can you come?" Yume says in a rush. "My parents are away and my babysitter is busy and I was going to ask Ms. Eguchi but she's got a new girl and I don't want to be a pest and there are two tickets so you can take someone with you, but if you don't want to its okay just let me know assoonaspossibleplease."

Yume gasps for breath, not taking her eyes off his startled expression.

Sojiro looks carefully at the ticket in his hand. "Yah, kid, I'd like to come."

Yume can feel her mouth breaking into a smile even as she chokes back the sob of relief. She has to duck her head to wipe the unwanted tears away. "Thank you Sojiro!"

"Can I have the other ticket too?" he says, stubbornly not looking at her breaking down. Yume nods and gives a noise of agreement. "Good. I know just who to ask."

"Who?" Yume squeaks, much to her embarrassment.

"That's a secret," Sojiro winks. Yume giggles wetly. He hands her a tissue. "You feeling better now?" She nods. "Good. That's good."

Yume giggles again, twisting the tissue in her hands. "I'm sorry for crying."

"Don't be sorry," Sojiro sighs. "And I'll pick you up for this, so don't stress on how you'll get there."

"Thank you!" Yume says, hopping off the seat to run around and give him a hug.

"You're breaking my heart here, kid," Sojiro says, lifting her up to share his booth. He glances over the ticket again. "June fifth, huh? Do you know if any other kids are doing it that night?"

"Ee!" Yume nods her head and settles beside him. "My group and my friends Haru, Miwa, and Makoto's groups. The older kids are on Sunday."

He hums and takes the flyer and tickets, tucking them away. "So you've made some friends? Tell me about them."

And Yume does, all through dinner. Her chest loosens with every listening glance he gives her and every response she gets. She's reminded of her father, _her first father_. Yume almost starts crying again at that thought. And Sojiro comforts her and listens when she says she's just happy he's coming to the recital.

"Thank you for being here," Yume mutters when she hugs him goodbye at the bottom of her apartment building.

"What's that?" Sojiro asks, gently prying her off him.

"Thank you for dinner!" Yume says with bright eyes and a real smile.

"You better show up tomorrow," he warns. He ruffles her long head, making her squawk. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Understood!" Yume tells him, musing her hair until the red shines through the black again. "Bye Mr. Sakura!"

"Take care, Yume," he waves over his shoulder.

Yume yawns, only going in once he's gone. After going through the motions, she settles into bed early.

 _Hope my parents are enjoying their time in Greenland_ , Yume thinks, but not even the painful thought about this set of parents takes her off of cloud nine. She hugs her pillow tighter and curls up in a ball. _I don't need them._ _Sojiro cares. He's my fam…_

…

 _He's my friend._

Yume sleeps through the night for the first time in months.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Who gets the other ticket won't be revealed for a long while yet, but any guesses?**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! I hope this one didn't break your heart as much as the last. And you were right, Sojiro saving the day! Again, thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Yume comes to the very real conclusion that she hasn't been Persona-ing right.

 _In more ways than one._

Saturday morning she's sitting on top of her apartment building's room, glaring at the red and black world below. Her flip phone is in one hand, thumb hovering over the accept button.

The 'Metaverse' is only supposed to be entered via the 'Metaverse Navigator', also known as the red eye app. Of course, just having the app active doesn't allow the phone's owner permission to enter. Three key words or key phrases must be said in order to allow the user access to the other world. Then, the locations the phone's owner can visit are saved to the Metaverse Navigator. And finally, the application can only let the user exit the location if the user is out of the location's bounds.

Yume, in her brilliant idea to middle finger and download the app to her computer (and subsequently her phone), does not need the key words to appear in the Metaverse. Instead, she can appear in the other world _with_ _every dungeon active at the same time_. This means she is both in a dungeon and not in one at all moments. The app's default function for situations like this is consistently-out-of-dungeon-bounds. So, she can leave whenever she wants.

Yume reads over the three words on a grainy photo and then switches apps to read the match she typed on her phone. She clicks enter.

The world around her shifts in shades of red and black, and then settles. The large, never ending tower is now the only distortion in the world.

Yume starts typing out the next name on her photo list.

 _Flip phone typing_ _ **sucks**_ _._

Because she isn't actually trying to break the world, Yume is writing out and entering all the dungeons in Tokyo into her Metaverse Navigator. This way, she can just click on one to appear in the bounds instead of being in all at once; also so she doesn't get a headache from staring at overlapping dungeons.

There is one rule she is _sure_ she accidently stared cheating at, and will continue to do so for as long as she can. Every dungeon has a list of 'Safe Rooms'. Every safe room is listed as three question marks. At the bottom of every list is the _Error: Unknown Name_ safe room. Yume isn't sure how the rule is supposed to play out – she'll look for it in the code later – but clicking on the named safe room makes her appear in her living room in the Metaverse. After inputting and trying dungeon three's safe room list, Yume is going to assume _Error: Unknown Name_ leads to her living room for every dungeon, _because she's not climbing the stairs for a fourth time today._ The question mark safe rooms won't let her accept them. She's guessing she actually has to search for them. _Ugh_.

Yume pauses when she reaches three key items that make her brain trip.

' **Jayshao Genshi; Tokyo: Under the Earth; Mementos: Path of Aiyatsbus: 2nd Area'**

The girl then goes to the first photo she took on her phone.

"What the-" Yume swears loudly and shakes her head.

A dungeon within a dungeon.

 _Dun-ception._

Yume fully vows to stay away from the Mementos for as long as possible. She continues writing in locations for another hour, growing more and more worried when more routes and places appear to have dungeons inside Mementos. When she finally stops, there are at least thirteen names scattered through three different paths. If she had to guess, then that's the final dungeon-dungeon the main characters will have to go to. So, she's very prepared to avoid it.

The strangest thing is that she can't see anything different with the world when she clicks the name. Then again, it is under the Earth.

 _Her head hurts._

Yume stands, tugging her backpack up with her – _got to get used to carrying supplies_ – and scrolling down the current dungeon safe rooms. She clicks the error room, and blinks. What was a scene of a red and black shaded Tokyo is now a greyscale version of her living room.

Yume turns off the app.

The girl tugs down her hole-littered mouth-scarf and breathes the fresh air. Then she turns on the television to watch some cartoons and delete her photos.

It's Phoenix Ranger Featherman.

It's… actually a really good show.

;;;

"See you Monday, Yume!"

"Bye Miwa!" Yume shouts, waving at the girl running for a car. Then she turns back inside and heads to Haru's class. "Oh, Makoto!"

"Hi, Yume," the older girl says, falling in step.

"How was your birthday?"

Makoto brightens, eagerly talking about everything that went on. From her sister mixing up the six and nine candles to the movie her father took them to.

"You do look a little tired," Yume throws in a wink. Makoto rolls her eyes. "I'm glad you had a nice day, though."

"Thank you," Makoto smiles.

Before she can say anything else, a woman's voice cuts through the air, "If you're just going to waste my time, don't bother showing up to practice. I don't have time to deal with silly girls who think dancing would be a fun _hobby_."

Makoto flinches at the words, and Yume automatically steps in front of the taller girl. The voice comes from the large studio, and Yume would bet money that it is Madam Himura. A few more sharp words to the class and footsteps move towards the door. Yume shuffles Makoto back against the wall.

It is Madam Himura storming out of the room, not seeing them.

"That was meaner than usual," Yume mutters, frowning.

"She is very dedicated to her teachings," Makoto says weakly.

"Not you too," Yume whines. She turns to the older girl, face almost pleading. "She shouldn't talk to people like that, especially not kids like us! If she's going to be my teacher, I'm not sure I want to continue dancing here."

"What?" Haru says, and Yume turns around. The auburn haired girl looks crushed. "Are you not going to be here next term?"

"Probably not," Yume admits, lunging forwards and hugging the girl. "Don't be sad though. Here," she digs through her bag and pulls out a pencil and paper. She writes two lines, and then tears the paper in face, giving one to each girl. "This is my phone number. You two better call me sometime."

"What about you, Mako?" Haru asks, holding Yume and the paper like they're lifelines. "Will you be here in June?"

"Sorry Haru," Makoto says, ducking her head and letting her hair fall. "I'm doing aikido in the summer."

Haru looks like the world's been ripped out beneath her. "But…"

"Do you really love dancing, Haru?" Yume asks softly. The older girl looks down at the younger one hugging her, dazed. Yume takes the chance. "Or are you only doing it to please your father?"

"I-" Haru cuts off, holding Yume tighter. The older girl doesn't even consider what may have given her away. Softer, Haru mutters out, "I… am only doing it for father."

"Tell him you want to do something else," Makoto encourages. "I'm sure he'll understand."

Yume doesn't let go of Haru as she leans back. "Tell him you got everything you can get from dancing, and find something else you want to do and appeal that to him."

Haru relaxes at that suggestion. She looks between the girls. "I… want to try gardening one day. Father always talks about our imports and exports, and I want to see if I can grow things as good as we sell them."

"That's a wonderful idea," Yume says quickly, speaking before Makoto can offer the confused words Yume sees on her face. "And tell him just that, that maybe one day you won't have to import much if you can make it yourself."

The rich girl finally releases Yume, stepping back with a relieved smile on her face. Haru giggles weakly, "Sorry Yume, I'm still in my outfit."

Yume waves her off and starts walking backwards to the change rooms. "No worries! It's neat that we all have something we want to do this summer."

"What was it you want to do?" Makoto asks softly, coming up beside the youngest girl.

"I'm going to be exploring!" Yume says with a wide smile. "Maybe I'll see you all around town!"

The three girls share smiles.

Yume's glad she can at least help them get away from Madam Himura and the mean girls when she won't be there to buffer.

;;;

"What did you say?" her father asks, head slowly moving up, but his eyes snap to her immediately.

Haru's fists clench and go white; her thumb rubbing the paper in her hand to make sure it's still there. "I have learned everything I can from that dance studio. I want to do something else this summer."

"She has been working hard for this recital," vice president Takakura says in thought. "I don't see any harm in allowing her to try more activities. Is it that you don't like dancing, Ms. Okumura?"

"N-no." Haru hides her fists behind her back and meets her father's gaze. "I do enjoy dance-"

"Then I don't see the problem," her father snaps, eyes going back to the paper work on his desk.

The five year old rubs the paper again. It grounds her. She can remember to breathe. There is someone with faith she can do this. "You only put me in the lessons to learn how to be graceful. I have learned the most I can. There is nothing for me at the ballet studio."

She feels instant regret after saying those words. Mako and Yu are there for now. But they are also the reason she's facing her father. She won't be left behind.

Her father narrows his eyes as he appraises her. "What about your friends?"

"We can stay in contact when I leave." Haru pinches the paper between her knuckles.

"If you really feel this way," he says slowly. "Then I can pull you out now." He looks thoughtful. "It would give you more time for your lessons."

"I won't be pulled out before the recital is over, father," Haru says, her knuckles groaning. "I have gotten front row position in my group and I will not abandon them now."

"What's the harm?" the vice president speaks up, looking thoughtfully at the girl. "We could even get that new intern to come up with a list of things for her to take."

"I get final say," her father looks at her sternly. "And if you don't like the options, you will be given extra studies for the summer and placed back in dance for the fall."

"Understood," Haru says, bowing. "Thank you, father."

He dismisses her and returns to his work. Haru bows to the vice president and then tries to slowly walk out of the room. As soon as the door's closed, she's sprinting for the nearest phone. The auburn haired girl has to redial five times since her hands shake so much. By the time the phone starts ringing, she's near tears.

"Hello! This is the Ishii household. Ishii Yume speaking!"

"Y-Yume," Haru badly stutters out.

"Haru?" The older girl almost laughs at how serious Yume sounds. "What's wrong?"

Distantly, Haru thinks she might needs to take a deep breath.

"I t-talked to my father," Haru laughs, but doesn't know what's so funny. "H-he said I c-could do a different sport over t-the summer."

The sound of Yume's deep breath is what finally calms her. Haru tries to match the breathing, but it's not going well. When Yume speaks, it sounds distant. "I'm glad you were able to talk to him about it. He didn't do anything, did he? Did he threaten you?"

"I-I can't not choose what he wants," Haru giggles again, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Or else I… I would have to start dancing and more etiquette lessons."

"You're so strong, Haru," Yume says earnestly; so real, that Haru believes she means it.

"Yu," Haru chokes out. "W-why am I crying if I win?"

"Haru," Yume coos softly through the speaker. "Sometimes it just… doesn't feel like a victory. _But_ , you shouldn't be sad about winning this time. You fought for your right to stop dancing, didn't you?

"I did," Haru gasps, trying to match Yume's breathing. "I did. But why does it hurt?"

"…Did your father seem disappointed?"

"A little," Haru says, her shuddering slowing. "Why would that matter?"

"I don't like disappointing the people I care about," Yume admits softly. "It makes me sad if I made them sad."

Haru frowns and wipes away the last of her tears. "You're too nice to make people sad."

Yume giggles and, while Haru feels like she's missing something, the auburn haired girl doesn't ask. The younger girl whispers over the phone, "You're too nice too. Don't worry about your father. Prove him wrong."

"Yume?" Haru asks as the silence stretches. "Have you ever done that with your parents?"

"…Un," Yume says. Haru frowns further at the sad note coming through the phone with the word. "Yeah… I've proven them wrong."

Something feels left unsaid. Haru leans against the wall and closes her eyes, suddenly tired form the emotional drain. "Yu?"

"Yah?"

"Do you love your parents?"

"…" the line is silent for a good dozen seconds. "I think I love them. I think I have to love them, since they're my parents. But do I like them…? …That's hard to say."

Haru closes her eyes and just matches breathing with the younger girl. "I think I love my father too."

But does she like him…?

Yume seems to get it. The younger girl changes topic to something lighter; like what Haru may want to do over the summer.

Haru wonders if this is what real friendship is.

…

She thinks she likes it.

;;;

"Sae!" Makoto shrieks, scampering away.

The older sister laughs and puts the sink nozzle back in the sink.

"Sae, you know better than to tease your sister," their father says. He ruffles his eldest daughter's head, and the teenager pulls and angry-cat face. "Go on, scamp, I'll take over drying from here."

"Thanks dad!" Makoto cries, making a face at her sister. The sixteen year old makes a face back.

Makoto runs to her room, changing out of the wet clothes. She hears a crinkle, and then pulls a paper out of her pocket. It takes her a few moments to remember that it's Yume's phone number. The recently six year old runs around and finds a pen. She writes the younger girl's name on the top and then stores the paper in her drawer.

If she's being honest, Makoto never thought she'd be friends with one of the younger girls. Oh, of course she gets swarmed by them. Makoto's friends are the _popular_ girls. They are the outspoken girls. The only thing she has in common is her go-getter attitude. Makoto is the _shy_ one in the group.

But the girl Miwa Takado looks out for? Miwa and Yume are the ones who whisper and giggle in class. Makoto never thought she'd be friends with them. Er, one of them.

And Haru Okumura. The girl Makoto's father off-handily said it was better not to get involved with. Makoto still feels guilty not telling him the last name of the person who gave her the scarf. Then again, she still doesn't know Yume's surname, so it isn't too bad a misnomer. Makoto _likes_ the girls, her new friends. She doesn't understand why her father frowns at the name Okumura. She doesn't understand why Haru suddenly attached to the younger girl and leaves her old friends alone.

She at least understands Yume walks home because she lives nearby. Haru and Makoto live far from the studio; they need to wait for rides home. Yume's parents never came looking for her when she stayed with Makoto, though. The recently six year old wonders if it's like what happened with Sae and their mother. She knows better than to ask; Sae gets angry when she talks about their mother and Makoto doesn't want Yume angry with her.

Yume is a simple person to understand. Probably because she's younger.

Haru is a puzzle Makoto doesn't want to give up.

Makoto hums and tries to plan just how to spend more time with her new friends. Maybe she can convince her father to pick her up later more often.

;;;

"Hi Mr. Enomoto!" Yume chirps.

"Hey, little Yume," he greets, setting down the glass he was cleaning. "How was your dance class?"

"It was good!" Yume chirps, moving to and empty booth. She sits on her knees on the bench so she can see him better. "We're going to start leaps next week!"

"Sounds exciting," the man chuckles, handing her a menu.

"Ee!" Yume agrees, nodding. She fiddles with the menu, unsure whether to wait or order now. As he goes back to the counter, she calls out, "Have you seen Mr. Sakura?"

"Not yet," Mr. Enomoto replies, going back to cleaning his dishes. "But it is early. He'll be by."

Yume bites her lip and returns to staring at the menu. Thinking about a few hours earlier, it was a surprise to have Haru phone so soon. That just adds to the younger girl's worry. She can't imagine what it would be like living with someone who has a dungeon. It can't be healthy.

So far, it seems as though Mr. Okumura is the type of rich parent who controls from a distant. From what Yume vaguely remembers about Persona games, it could be worse. Like, a lot worse. It could be tame because Mr. Okumura's dungeon is rather low leveled, or because Haru is his daughter. Being family has to mean something, doesn't it?

Yume knows that all she can do for now is be there for the older girl. She doesn't want money or connections; just a friend. Making that clear to Haru early is important. The brown eyed, auburn haired girl needs someone in her corner. Someone to speak to without fear of gossip or retribution from her rich parent. A person that doesn't care when Haru's repressed, vindictive feelings rise to the surface.

 _Little Haru's issues are almost tame compared to those of Yume's last-life sister's._

Yume can be there for the older girl. A phone call away. An ear that will listen. In return, Yume wants Haru to do her best. Haru needs to stay alive. Yume won't lose her potential support pillar to the stress of rich parents and fake people.

The door to the café chimes. Yume quickly releases her shirt, frowning at the stretch marks. That's a bad habit that will have to stop. She can't keep white knuckling everything.

"Yume!" Sojiro calls.

The girl almost falls out of her seat. She gets out of the booth with a wide smile, and _then_ loses her balance when an orange blur latches onto her middle.

"Futaba," Yume greets, hugging the girl back. "How are you?"

"Good!" Futaba chirps, switching positions to grab Yume's arm with an iron grip. "Sojiro! Phoenix Ranger Featherman!"

"I got'cha kid," Sojiro sighs, digging out some action figures from a cute, sparkly backpack. He sets them down on Yume's booth. "Order your food, and then play."

"Ee sir!" Yume smirks at his annoyed, fond, eye roll. "Hey, Futaba, I actually saw an episode of Phoenix Ranger Featherman this morning."

Futaba looks up at the older girl with stars in her eyes. "I saw too! New Feather Eagle!" Then she frowns seriously at Yume. "He bad guy."

Yume lets out a surprised laugh. "Really?"

Futaba nods. And then proceeds to spoil the entire plot of the current rerunning season.

Yume just shrugs and goes with it. It's not like she has the time to watch all the episodes anyway.

;;;

"So," Mr. Enomoto leans over the counter, eyebrows raised at the government worker, "is Wakaba coming or…?"

"I'm taking Futaba for the weekend," Sojiro says, sipping his coffee.

When the customer doesn't offer anything else, the café owner sighs and gets back to cooking. "Are they still on her case about looking into mental shutdowns?"

"How do you even know that?" Sojiro groans curtly.

"I may be retired," Mr. Enomoto says wryly, "but I'm never really retired. So, Wakaba?"

"Yes, they are," Sojiro says, glaring at his coffee. "She's still denying them, since they only want her for her researcher title. And the pay is less than what she would get now."

"But she wants to, doesn't she?"

Sojiro is silent for a long time. "I won't speak for her. Ask her after a few drinks, and maybe she'll entertain that question."

Former government worker Mr. Enomoto rolls his eyes. "It's not like this is what she's researching or anything."

Sojiro's eyes flick to the girls playing with action figures and then back to his coffee. "She's got more important things in her life than her research."

Mr. Enomoto almost – _almost_ – asks if it's having a child that's holding the woman back from taking the job. He knows better than to say that offhanded question to her number-one love interest. Sojiro glares up at his with laser focus and a dark scowl, as if he knows that man's thoughts. The café owner holds up his hands. "Mah, mah, Sojiro. Wakaba does well for a single woman and we are always happy to see her and Futaba back in the neighborhood."

Sojiro glares harder. "I better not hear or see you _ever_ imply anything again. Just because your wife felt children were a full time career doesn't give you the right to hold judgement."

Mr. Enomoto bites his tongue. The men glare at each other, only breaking away at the peals of laughter that come from the children. Sojiro huffs, small smile crossing his face as he goes back to glaring at his coffee.

"Has she said anything about Futaba's father?" Mr. Enomoto inquires quietly.

"No," Sojiro says stiffly. "And I wish you and Maki would stop asking."

Mr. Enomoto sighs and changes the subject while he dishes the food. By the time everyone's finished eating, the adults are back on friendly terms.

"Don't be a stranger," Mr. Enomoto tells Sojiro. "And if you or Wakaba ever want me to look into that offer…"

Sojiro nods curtly. "We'll let you know."

Because not only does the job offer come with less money, less benefits, and more hours, the subject matter they focus on sounds suspiciously fake. But Wakaba Isshiki is the leader in cognitive psience. She is the best at getting results. And after a decade lull in research, the cognition research needs all the help it can get.

* * *

 **A/N: Well… that turned into a lot more POV's then I expected. Then again, this story is also turning into a lot more backstory then I expected (Akira's introduction chapter feels so far away, gees). Thanks for reading! Hope people enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! I'm so glad to hear that; hope you don't mind if I sprinkle some more angst through this chapter… Thank you again for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Her back to the roof edge, Yume glowers at her cellular device. If it wasn't her only phone at the moment, she would have thrown it off the edge ages ago. She still might, when she finally buys a couple backups. A few more years until the proper touchscreen phones and she can't wait. Then, maybe the navigation app can actually work.

When activating the navigation function of the Metaverse Navigator, it only shows the current area around the phone. Only the block around the apartment building comes up. There is no zoom function, no get-directions button, and no this-way-to-a-dungeon sign. A couple red dots come and go in the corners of the map, but nothing else changes.

Yume sighs and exits out of the other world. She re-bubble wraps the phone and shoves it into the middle of her backpack. Once making sure her snacks and first aid kit are still un-crushed, the little girl hurries to the apartment stairs. Then she starts her decent.

"Oh," Yume stops short on her room's floor, unable to hide her hesitance for a split second. "Hi, Ms. Eguchi."

"There you are," the woman sighs, making her way to the stairwell. "Where are you going today, Yume?"

"The park," Yume says with ease, her real looking smile forced. "How about you, Ms. Eguchi?"

The older woman smiles wryly. "I was thinking of going to the park as well. What do you say we go together?"

The little girl can feel the real smile crossing her face. She almost tries to stop it. _Don't be petty_. Yume holds up a hand, the self-doubt and faint irritation being shoved to the back of her mind. "Hai!"

The woman gently takes the small girl's hand, letting herself get pulled along to the elevator. Yume starts chatting about the boy she's supposed to be meeting there. She talks about the mother that put bandages on her injuries and picked the boy up last Sunday. The adult in Yume protests the word vomit, so the girl quickly asks the woman about her family and then falls silent.

The woman fills in the silence with stories from the hospital.

Yume 'ooh's and 'aww's in all the appropriate moments. The adult in her is satisfied. The child she is is disappointed. She wants the attention and ear to chat off. It's almost therapeutic to talk to someone who really listens.

Ryuji pauses the first time she stops her word flow. She asks him something, and he rolls his eyes. "Yah, it was fine, but you can't just leave a story there! What else did that teacher do?"

For a second, the words get caught in her throat, all wanting to be spat out at once. Yume's real smile stretches painfully. She takes a deep breath, and continues telling him. Her eyes flicker once to Ms. Eguchi and Ms. Sakamoto on the bench, and then she doesn't turn away from the boy. She _can't_.

"This is why you shouldn't dance." Ryuji groans angrily. "You should just baseball with me. We get to throw things and hit things and run, and the teachers aren't mean to us."

"I can't just switch now," Yume pouts. "And I have some friends I want to keep safe until the teacher isn't there anymore."

"Well, you better come this Wednesday," Ryuji says. He shifts over and lightly pushes her. Yume squeaks as she falls into the sand castle. "Come on, say you'll come!"

"Ryuji!" Yume laughs at the crushed gate to their castle. "I am coming! You didn't need to hit me!"

"I didn't hit you!" Ryuji says hotly. Yume pauses and looks up because he actually seems offended. She lunges off the ground at him. "Hey- wha?"

"I'm sorry," Yume says, trying to be reassuring. "You looked like you needed a hug."

"Whatever, shorty," he scoffs, patting her shoulder. "Now get off."

Yume smiles and backs off. Then she frowns. "I'm not short."

"Uh, yah, you are," Ryuji taunts. He smirks and backs up, hopping out of the sandbox. "What'ca gonna do about it, shorty?"

The girl relishes in the moment: the childlike indignation, the thrill of someone challenging her, and, best of all, a friend who doesn't mind spending an afternoon with her. Yume lets out a battle cry, and lunges. Ryuji laughs evilly and runs away.

"Ryuji," the soft voice of said boy's mother calls as the sun starts to set. The kids stop and look up at her. "We have to go."

"Aw, mum," he whines, but dutifully trots towards her. He turns halfway, waving like crazy at his friend. "See you Wednesday!"

Yume smiles and waves back. Ms. Eguchi waits until she has the girl's hand before asking a seemingly odd question. "Did Ryuji have any bruises?"

Yume nods, "ee." But she can't think of why the woman would ask. "He said they were from baseball. That he needs to catch the ball more."

Ms. Eguchi hums, eyes unusually sharp. "Thank you, Yume."

Yume nods. There is something niggling in her head though. It wonders why Ms. Eguchi would ask that. People bruise in sports all the time. Ryuji seems competitive. It wouldn't be remiss for him to get injured throwing his all into the game. Even if it didn't seem that he liked the actual sport all that much…

Her mind jumps tracks. She already looked for the coaches for Ryuji's team. One has some low-leveled thing in Mementos. In real life, they seem like good people struggling for extra credits or volunteer hours. So that isn't the likely problem.

After dinner with Ms. Eguchi, Yume starts her computer looks up Ryuji's birth certificate. "Masaru Sakamoto," Yume says out loud, writing down the name. It's interesting he took his wife's last name. She writes his previous name down too, just in case. Going to the dungeon list, Yume types in his current name. Nothing comes up, so she switches last names.

"Masaru Maketha," Yume says, stunned. Her fingers quit moving and she can barely bring herself to read the rest of the list. "Tokyo: Under the Earth." She swallows hard. "Mementos: Path of Adyeshach: 10th Area."

Yume stares.

Swears.

And then starts crying.

Haru's father doesn't have that strong of a dungeon. Madam Himura has a mid-low level dungeon. Ryuji's father? His dungeon is high leveled.

 _The bitterness of her own inadequacies twists at the sight of something currently unconquerable._

Ryuji has to live with the man.

And Yume doesn't know if she can help him any time soon.

* * *

 **A/N: (I'm so sorry, this turned out to be a lot more angst than expected). Any thoughts? Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Just one…

….more…

…step.

Yume freezes. She feels restricted without her birds-eye view of the red and black world. What should be the backstreets from her apartment is a crumbling ruin of concrete. There is a sense of dread she can't shake as she hesitantly moves one step forward.

She officially stands ground-floor in Yongen-Jaya.

…Now what?

Yume tugs at her black backpack, fingers itching for her phone. It's in the middle of her supplies, wrapped in bubble wrap, and no good way to get it. Against her better judgement, the girl moves quietly towards the direction of her ballet studio. Seeing Ryuji's father named on the list really is the kick in the teeth she needs. The motivation to help the boy who _may_ have stalked her every Sunday – who cares enough to _see_ her – is stronger than her fear of the unknown. It's stronger than her fear of the monsters hiding in the dark.

"Not again, ho."

Yume full-body freezes on the spot. Then she lunges for the nearest wall, barely breathing as she hears something shift around the corner.

"Why is it always Japan, ho?" the almost-grating, male voice scoffs. It's like the person's cackled one too many times and ruined their voice. "I would just like it to actually-hee work _away_ from hee-here once, ho."

Yume clenches her fists and slowly inches towards the corner. She _has_ to pass this way in order to get the ballet studio. If she can sneak by, then all will be fine. She won't have to meet whoever is around the corner. Whoever this English speaker with a verbal tick is, they sound like their back is to her. There is a clinking sound and Yume knows she can't delay anymore. Slowly, the girl holds her breath and peeks around to make sure the person isn't looking.

They are looking right at her.

And they aren't human.

"Huh?" the floating monster with a pumpkin for a head looks as shocked as she feels. "Who-ho are-"

Yume dead sprints out of there.

"Wait, ho!" the monster shouts. Yume risks a glance over her shoulder when she turns onto the next street. The monster is chasing her. "Little critter, stop!"

Yume keeps running. She's seen enough horror movies in her last life to know stopping for a body-less creature with a lantern is probably a bad idea. The fact it can't float very fast is a plus. She makes it in record time to the studio block. The border where the block turns into Madam Himura's dungeon shimmers all through the air and concrete. It hurts to look at this close; the border flickering at the edges like transparent red water.

" _No!_ " the monster screams so panicky that Yume stumbles. She risks another head turn. The hand with the lantern is reached out as far as can go; the monster seeming fearful. " _Don't!_ "

Yume cracks her head towards the boundary and keeps running. She hears another frightened shout for her to stop, but it's too late even if she wanted to halt. Her arms go up to protect her face as she leaps into the border.

For a moment, it's like moving through molasses. The world slows and separates like waves. Yume can see everything change; only this doesn't hurt. It is more like magic, watching the waves separate between black and red. Then the red fades into a parking lot. And finally, she is spat out of the border. Yume tucks and rolls, then springs to her feet and jogs the last of the momentum to a halt.

Dungeons are much more expansive up close. What had been the border behind her are now rows of filled parking. Further behind the parking, it just looks like a normal urban city. In front of Yume, what should be the ballet studio is an opera house. People are flocking to the doors, and the line to get in wraps around the courtyard at least three times.

Yume goes to take a step forward, and then stops. She risks a glance towards where the border should be. The monster chasing her isn't through there. They probably won't come, if their reaction to her jumping headfirst was any indication. A person walks unseeingly towards her, and Yume automatically shifts, eyes still on thin air.

She shivers, unable to miss how the person walks through her instead of around her. Unsure, Yume walks towards another group. They pass through her too.

"This is so surreal," Yume mutters, moving to stand in front of another person.

This one walks around her, their sleeves brush, and they give her a dirty look as they go.

"What's so special about you?" Yume muses, carefully following the person to the edge of the parking lot. She hides behind a car and watches them cut past the line. Security checks their clipboard and then waves the person through. V.I.P.s are solid. Good to know.

Yume shrugs off her backpack instead of continuing forward like she really wants to. She is afraid – still shaking – and running on adrenaline, but she had one goal and swore she wouldn't press her luck. Going any further would risk getting caught, and she already outran one monster today. The girl refuses to make that a common thing. So, Yume unwraps her cellphone and shoves the bubble wrap into her backpack. She'll do better when she starts combing dungeons for items. Sneakier. Like a scout or ninja.

Yume's eyebrows rise at the sight of a message on her phone. She hesitantly clicks it, and then barks a laugh. It isn't a message, so much an alert that she has found the first safe room to 'Himura's Palace'. The safe room is nothing more than an 'Entrance' label.

"Objective complete," Yume rolls her eyes and scrolls down the list. "Find Himura's dungeon. _Check_."

Just thinking about unlocking the other safe rooms is addictive. Yume swallows back the completionist itch threatening to spread and gets ready to press on the error safe room. "Quick-travel, go."

She barely blinks before she's standing inside her living room. Yume sags out her breath and collapses on to all fours. Until she can reign in the emotions – _fear, excitement, I did it, whathaveIdone_ – she keeps her eyes closed and breathes. Then she quits out of the Metaverse, not entirely satisfied with her one-item achievement list.

She compromises that tomorrow she'll go back and actually work out a way inside the flashy opera house. There's still a month left until the recital. She's in no hurry.

;;;

"Thanks for doing this, Tae," the man says, shutting the creaky apartment door with a firm shove. "He's in the room on the left."

The teenager waves lackadaisically over her shoulder, heels clicking. She pops her gum and knocks. "Hey, kiddo, it's your favourite doctor."

The man behind her sighs. "He's awake. You might as well go on in. I don't think he slept at all last night."

The blue haired teen hums, lips pursing in thought. Still, she opens the door with a small smile aimed towards the two year old. "Well, Kaoru, you've really worried your old man again."

The kid coughs and lets out a broken sentence. "'m sorry dad."

"I'm joking," Tae says, smiling a little more at the glare the young man burns into her back. "It's good you're sitting up. Now, we'll go through this step by, okay? Make sure we don't miss anything."

After going over the symptoms and doing a few checks, Tae tells the kid and young man just what the child needs. An eighth of a teaspoon of Tae's special sleep aid and a warm glass of Devil Fruit tea later, the kid is asleep and the father is a lot more relaxed. "Will you be able to make it to school on time?"

"Of course not," Tae says blandly, packing her things. Her eyebrow flicks up at the hint of guilt on the gruff, young man's face. "Munehisa, you should be more worried about payment then if I need to get to school."

Munehisa grunts and gives her a droll look. "You're aiming for the top medical school in the country. You can't afford to miss anything."

"Tetsuya is covering for me," the wannabe doctor says with a shrug. She closes her bag with a sharp _snap_ and looks expectantly. "OK, that'll be one million yen for today."

The deadpan look she gets is amazing. "Ha. Ha. Ha, Takemi."

"Alright," the teenager sighs. She drops a lollipop on the table and gathers her things. "Just this once, 'cause your kid is polite." It's what she always says. She pauses at the doorway this time, though. "You know, Tetsuya doesn't care that you take part of the profit." She lets out a huff and sends the stiff man a look over her shoulder. "But I'm expecting a discount next time I go into your shop."

"You already have the best I can get," Munehisa grounds out unhappily. "Fake or not, I won't get the better stuff until the store gets trustworthy in the community."

"You could always come with us," she offers, pretending not to see his flinch. "The Metaverse has a variety of parts you would like. For free, even."

"No thanks," Munehisa says with a look towards his adopted son's door. "Once was enough for me."

The lady sighs and goes for the door again. "Keep me posted on how your son is. We'll be over in a few days with more metals to sell."

"I'll be expecting you."

;;;

"It feels strange not having Mako around," Haru says, scuffing her shoe on the ground. "Is it weird that I miss her?"

If she were an adult, Yume would have said yes. Now, the smaller girl feels how the older one does. Just waving and saying hello to Makoto doesn't feel like enough. They look forward to these corner-street conversations. Neither girl wants to be distancing from the cop's daughter. Or worse, forgotten.

"I miss her too," Yume admits, sneaking further into Haru's side hug. "How has your new activity search gone?"

"Not well," Haru says rather sadly. "Father will not give me a list, and has refused me from asking for it anymore."

"Give him a list," Yume says thoughtfully. "Maybe circle the ones you would like best. It gives him a place to start."

Haru frowns thoughtfully. "Would that really work?"

"It shouldn't hurt to try," Yume says quietly. "If you're really worried, give it to someone you trust. See if they can give it to your father."

The glint appears in Haru's eyes, and the older girl gives one more squeeze before stepping back and letting go. The limo slowly pulls up right on time. "I will see you tomorrow, Yume."

"Bye, Haru," Yume waves until the limo's gone. Then she starts on her walk home. Her mind swirls round and round until she's almost reluctant to do her chores instead of heading directly to the Metaverse. She's had her first taste of gameplay, and fear doesn't stop her from wanting more.

"Hello, little Ms. Yume," Mr. Enomoto says pleasantly when she slips into his quiet café for dinner that evening. "Are you meeting anyone here tonight, or do I get your company to myself?"

Yume smiles with brightness she doesn't feel. "Hello, Mr. Enomoto. It's just me tonight."

"Let me help you up there," he says, coming around the counter. Once she's situated on a barstool, he goes back around to take her order.

"Has it been a quiet day?" Yume asks, watching him cook.

"Very," Mr. Enomoto says with a laugh that Yume takes to mean she's missing an inside joke. "I'm actually cleaning out the attic above here in between customers. A couple old colleagues of mine are coming to visit this weekend, and we don't have enough room in my home for them."

"Oh?" Yume tilts her head, interested. It's not every day a shop owner lets people stay above the workplace. Especially since she _knows_ Mr. Enomoto lives a couple blocks away. Even Sojiro lives closer than the café owner. She lives closer than him, and she wouldn't let people live in the same area as her business if she could help it. "How many are coming?"

"Well, there's Misa and her husband; Caro, his wife, and their two kids; Nori, his wife, and their son; and… Benjy, his wife, and their daughter."

"Wow," Yume breathes, tallying the number in her head. "That's a lot of friends."

He laughs and gives her dinner. "Yah, we were all friends back in the day. Sojiro knows Caro and Benjy, and I'm dragging him over this weekend to meet the other two. They all work in government, you see? It's all connected."

Yume nods. "Ee!"

"Nori and Benjy's kids are about your age," Mr. Enomoto says in thought. "You should stop by and meet them. Maybe show them around the neighborhood a bit. One of the families will end up above in the attic, so you can play with their kid all you'd like."

Yume nods again, making an affirmative noise around her meal. By the end of the night, the information is put out of her mind in favour of scanning through information of Metaverse dungeon owners and sowing together the holes in her exploring tights. So far, nothing in common with the high-leveled users that she can see. In fact, most seem to be very different people. Some are obsessive, some are aggressive, and some are creepily kind. That may be her automatic suspicion of these people, though. Obsessive could be getting proper results. Aggressive could be standing for people's rights. Creepily kind could just be the tooth-rotting niceness of a full-time volunteer.

Yume sighs when she holds up her black tights to the light. It's one awful looking stitch right across the knee. It ripped when she tumbled through the border, but she only noticed it when she changed into her every-day clothes. "It will work for tomorrow."

Because, monsters or not, she is showing up in the Metaverse tomorrow. Quick-travel to the entrance of a dungeon needs to be figured out. Also, checking to see what's twisted the ballet studio beyond repair. This may be her last chance to see the Metaverse this week, as she tries to limit what she does in the other world.

No reason to get addicted now. She is four years old. Lots to do, and there is time to do it.

Figure out the Metaverse first, and then stop Ryuji's and Haru's fathers.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, Anar Bael, for your review! Glad you're enjoying it! This chapter touches a bit more on her opinion of the Metaverse, so I hope it answered some questions. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! Yah, these children really need some love, and some fluffy-happy times. I'm glad to hear you're enjoying it! Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! The character will work themselves out, hopefully, and I'm glad you like the Kid Thieves! Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Yume blinks, and then squeezes her eyes shut again. The red and black is too bright against the pounding in her head. Taking a few deep breaths, the girl moves an arm languidly over her eyes. Pain doesn't go away, but it helps keeps the nausea down for the moment. She'll just keep lying in the parking lot for a few more minutes, thanks.

"Sir?" asks a too-high pitched voice above her. Yume's eyebrows furrow because it sort of sounds like they're talking to _her_. "Sir, are you alright?"

Yume slowly removes her harm, blinking to adjust to the low light. At least her headache is slowly dissipating.

"Sir?" the voice says again. Yume's eyes snap up to see a woman looking above the girl's head. The woman panics and reaches down. "Sir-"

Yume slowly moves to sit up, and then slips and jars her shoulder on the ground. The woman recoils back, glancing left and right with wide eyes and a gasp. "What…?"

The girl slowly crawls away while the woman rambles on about disappearing people. Yume leans against a surprising cool sports car, sighing at the temperature. She digs through her backpack to make sure everything survived her blackout. She tries to think back to what caused it. All she did was go to grab a solid V.I.P.'s hand. Barely touched them at all. A brush at its finest, and then she was on the ground with a headache.

Her in-tact phone brings more questions. She has alert after alert of errors. Most have to do with 'unable to complete Trkstr_function' and list the variables active and inactive after a force exit. Once she's through almost every alert, the girl is left with two textboxes.

 **Yume Persona Status has reached: Permanently_Sealed_Away**

She stares at the first one for a long time before exiting out.

The second and final box doesn't help her trembling.

 **Warning: Not all Trkstr_function is available for use. Confirm use of Trkstr_function?**

Yume's hands shake. Her fingers slip until she has to put the phone down and breathe. All her planning and exercise for what? She won't be a Persona user. She won't be special. There will be no magic or buffs. No healing or dodging. The monsters will always have the upper hand because what can she do? She'll be a normal, boring human in a world for extraordinary people.

 _I am extraordinary._

Yume stills at the lightening-flash thought. She brings her hands up to tighten her hair bun, realizing she truly is extraordinary. How many people can say they're building an online, information network? How many people can say they hacked into another world's application system? How many four year olds can claim to have survived spending hours in the Metaverse?

"How many people get more than one chance at life?" Yume whispers.

 _I am extraordinary._

She picks up her phone. With frightening ease, Yume places her thumb over the accept button.

"I am in a world most people will only ever dream of," Yume pep talks to herself. "This is my life now. I committed when I started taking care of myself. I _committed_ when I didn't roll over and _die_." She smiles at the textbox. "I am extraordinary."

Pep talk succeeds.

Yume hits accept.

 **Trkstr_function confirmed!**

"And Persona or no," Yume smiles a bit evilly at the screen, "I am going to get as good as I can. I've already cheated your system once, Igor.

"Let's do it again."

;;;

Tetsuya feels a shiver go up his spine, and it bugs him because he can't think of why.

"What's wrong, Ace?" asks the teenager in a black mesh mask.

"I'm not too sure," Tetsuya answers, glancing around the safe room. "It almost felt like… you know what, never mind. I've been spending too much time reading about Fools in the Library. It's making me paranoid, I guess."

"Dude," the teenager in a solid grey, half-face mask, sighs and rolls his eyes. "When was the last time your intuition was wrong? Come on, tell us what you think."

Tetsuya shakes his head, hand brushing the pocket where his journal rests. "It's nothing. Maybe I'm just cold."

A bottle of mysterious liquid slides over to him before anyone can say anything. All eyes turn to the teenager with a small beaked mask. She glances up from her textbook, ignoring everyone but their leader. "Guess who gets to be the rat for my warming elixir."

Tetsuya swallows hard at the foreboding feeling he gets from staring at the bottle. He, unfortunately, knows what to do here. "Bottoms up."

There are a few seconds of peace after the drink. Then he catches on fire.

"What the frick?!"

"Bones, what did you do?!"

"Hmm… less stimulant next time."

"Don't just sit their calmly!"

"Can someone _please_ put me out already?"

;;;

"Are you going to Mr. Enomoto's get-together, Mr. Sakura?" Yume asks that Tuesday night.

He sighs and slouches further into the booth. "Seriously, Yume, it's just Sojiro." He turns his head away and grumbles. "Don't give Wakaba a reason to get on my case again."

Yume, having absolutely no idea what he is talking about, just tilts her head. The silence starts to stretch, so she asks the question again.

"He better be," the café owner says, delivering them their food.

"I'm supposed to take Futaba Sunday," the government worker glares at the man. "So I won't be here then."

"Oh," Yume says rather dejectedly. "No Futaba visiting?"

"We'll come by Monday evening," he assures the girl. "And I'll be here Saturday, just so you won't feel mobbed by strangers."

She sends him a bright smile to express her relief. She can't stop the foreboding feeling that tells her this is all a bad idea and she should hide in her room until everyone is gone.

"They're arriving Friday." Mr. Enomoto entices the younger man. "You could show up and meet them then.

"Not a chance," Sojiro pushes his dishes off to the side and flattens out the newspaper once again. "Some of us have things to do on the holiday. Yume, the answer here is Cingöz. Can you read out the clue?"

Yume leans over her food, squinting and slowly reading it. "A fictional thief from books by Peyami Safa's."

"Very good," he nods. "How about this clue?"

And so continues the evening.

;;;

Yume has a pretty good idea what the blue dot beside Tetsuya's name means.

There's one beside her name now too.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, ARSLOTHES, for your review! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, hee ho!**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Go Ryuji!" Yume cheers from behind the fence. "Crack that ball out of here!"

Two balls, one strike, and he makes contact.

"Yes!" Yume shouts, along with the rest of the make-shift team. "Run! Get to second!"

It takes another couple batter before Ryuji gets to home plate. He takes the pats on the back and high-fives with a bright, stunning smile. Yume waits until the attention has petered off before going up and lightly hugging him. "You were awesome!"

"Thanks for sticking around to watch," he replies, hugging her back. "You got to go?"

"Yah," Yume step backs and makes a face. "Chores aren't going to do themselves."

"Blugh," Ryuji makes a face and she giggles. "Get out of here, then. Oh, and my mom wants you to know that we won't be at the park this Sunday."

"Aw," Yume pouts, trying not to show her disappointment. Suddenly she's trapped in another Ryuji bear hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he says, cheeky grin on. "But you'll be back next Wednesday, right?"

"Of course," Yume replies maybe a bit too quickly. Apparently not seeing Makoto, Miwa, and Ms. Eguchi as often as she'd like is affecting her more than she'd originally thought. "Win this game!"

"You got it!" he shouts as she jogs backwards, holding his thumbs up. "See you later, Yume!"

"Bye!" she shouts back, running towards home. She pops into the arts and crafts store for some more thread, waving to the cashier that's free for the moment. In her haste, she almost bowls over a kid. "I am so sorry!"

The blue haired kid frowns up at her with narrow eyes. "Red and black hair…"

Yume almost sweat-drops. The kid looks at her a heck of a lot like Futaba did when they first met. "I love your blue hair. It's a really nice shade."

The kid raises a single eyebrow and Yume blinks back her awe because how does he do that? "T'ank you."

And now she wants to coo because he doesn't have his 'th' sound. "I'm-"

"How does'th red and black not mix'th?" the boy mutters, going on his tiptoes to try and see her roots. Yume yelps and holds still when he pushes her head down. "Be red or black."

"Yusuke!" snaps a voice, and suddenly the boy's off her person. "You don't touch people without permission." Yume looks up to see an aging man holding the boy's hand in the air by his wrist.

The boy's ducks his head. "Yes'th masther…"

"It's okay," Yume breaks in, hiding her concern behind a smile. The boy peeks up while the man turns. "No harm done! It's my fault for running into him."

The man frowns and turns back to the boy. "Apologize to the young lady for invading her privacy, and then come to the checkout."

The kids wait until the man is gone. The boy turns and gives a deep bow. "I'm s'th-orry for invading your privac'th-y."

Yume shrugs. "It was just my hair, so no harm done. I'm sorry for running into you."

The boy nods. "I forgive you."

Yume cracks a smile at how formal he is. "Thank you for apologizing. I'm Yume!"

"Kitagawa Yus'th-ke," he lisps. "I paint."

"Awesome! I sow!"

"Good art," he nods. "Good bye."

"Bye!" Yume waves until he's gone from sight. "Neat kid."

She does wonder why the small one's she's run into like her hair so much.

;;;

"Bye Haru!" Yume calls, waving until the limousine is out of sight. Then she sighs and starts the trek home. She's glad their idea worked, and now Haru has a list of activities she _wants_ to do from her father. It's a little disheartening to think they won't be seeing each other almost every day after the recital. So, Yume is stuck in a purgatory of wanting these days to continue as they are while hoping she can one day do something to help the lonely rich girl who's been nothing but friendly since they've been acquainted.

Having her head bowed, she almost misses the pair of stationary legs she could have run into. Yume startles and jerks her head up to see who stands watching her out of reflex and-

 _-water and gasoline-_

-she freezes in place.

"I'm sorry," Yume says to break what threatens to become a silence. Tetsuya blinks at her voice, his wide-eyed stare lessening. The feeling of two things that can't mix still runs up and down her spine, but it fades little by little so she keeps pretending that this isn't happening. "I'll get out of your way. Sorry."

"Hey, wait a second, kid," the teenager calls, jogging up to her. Yume tries not to tense as she turns back; it's easier with the feeling trickling away. "Are you alright? You look a little down."

Something in Yume flinches away, because this boy is _plot_. This is the _main character_. Of course the world conspires to drag her into it all. The girl straight-up said she'd challenge the mechanics yesterday in the Metaverse. Why wouldn't it challenge back?

This is also her best chance to learn. How does a person _Persona_ properly? Strength in numbers and Takara – _Madam Himura's_ – dungeon isn't exactly a tutorial dungeon. And, now that Yume won't ever unlock her other self, what's stopping her from dying a _pathetic_ death in the other world? Being sneaky can only get a person so far. A one-person team does not win fights effectively.

Yume's mouth moves almost without her say-so. "One of my dance instructors, Takara Himura, er… Madam Himura isn't nice to a lot of us… I know I shouldn't let it get to me, but the other day…" Yume pauses and shakes her head. "Never mind. I'm sorry. Have a nice day, mister."

With that she leaves, chickening out. Yume scolds herself the whole way home, because that was her chance. She may not want to be involved, but the other dancers don't deserve to be put through the verbal abuse she hears in the hallways. One girl in Makoto's group actually ran crying to the bathroom. She could have said the words, the keys to the dungeon, and just let Tetsuya's group handle it.

And her excuses – _what if they don't go into the dungeon; what if they fail; what if they_ _ **die**_ – seem weaker and weaker the more she beats herself up over it. She could have tried.

She could have… _tried_.

Yume goes into the Metaverse after a lonely dinner that night. The girl glares at all the large and flashy dungeons she can see from her apartment's roof. She turns away when her head starts to hurt, but only to turn a glare at her phone.

The nightclub a few blocks away if rather low leveled. Not as much as she'd like, but the nearest tutorial-level dungeon is an hour drive away. And that's the one with an address. All those in the Mementos happen in two paths, some on the same floor. There are three, too-easy levels on the Path of Qimranut. Another four spread around the Path of Aiyatsbus. The main problem, besides the many dungeons inside of Mementos, is the unlisted entrance. Yume has no idea how to go about getting under the Earth to access these dungeons.

There are two – _three_ – problems Yume has with going to check out the nightclub. The first is the risk of running into more monsters on her way there. The second problem is the high-leveled hotel right next to it. The final problem – that she refuses to think of as a problem because she doesn't _want_ to think of it – would be that, if she does consider this a tutorial dungeon, she would focus her efforts there instead of dealing with the cabaret.

And the cabaret does need to be dealt with, preferably before the recital.

"Look at me," Yume mutters, still glaring at her phone. "Setting a deadline and everything."

There are pluses to stopping Himura before the recital. Haru's father would probably be more inclined to let Haru choose her own activities after the reveal of the awful teacher. Makoto's father is a cop, and if the truth came out while Makoto was still dancing then he could get the woman charged, or the very least force a public apology, for the mental abuse of her students. And, Yume wouldn't have to take practices with the woman if she can clear the dungeon ahead of time; however unlikely that may be.

"Well, I have time to start sneaking next week," Yume mutters, glancing at the calendar on her phone. "The recital is on the fifth of June, and May starts this Sunday."

It feels like a lot of time, but she's worried.

"-telling you, hee ho. It's _always_ Japan!"

Yume stiffens at the faint voice. Then she exits out of the Metaverse as fast as possible. "Nope."

That about makes up her mind. No walking to the nightclub unless she has to.

;;;

Tetsuya holds up his phone to the group in the Library. "Thoughts?"

"We can't take on another palace," Daichi says sternly. The teen looks around and sees only Tae agree with him. "We _can't_. Ignoring that we don't have all the information we need about this dance teacher, we have to start preparing for the trip to the marine center."

"That's a few weeks away," Kayo says, pursing her lips. "I could start looking into it on the side while you guys prepare."

"We don't have time to take on another palace," Tae breaks in, lifting her head up from the medical textbook. "We are nowhere near close to finding the treasure in the hotel, and that should be our first priority. Until we finish what we've started, this shouldn't be a topic of discussion."

"What do you think, Hitoshi?" Hiroki asks, curious. "You've been rather silent all night."

The man sighs and leans forward, clasping his hands on the table. He stares for a few seconds before explaining. "My mother's neighbor goes to that dance studio. She's just a kid; not even six, I don't think. How old was the kid you saw?"

"Not school age," Tetsuya replies.

"So we help," Sadayo says, popping her gum and swinging her legs off the table to stand, "because I would kill someone who didn't save my younger sister from a palace ruler if they had the chance."

"It's not that simple," Daichi stresses.

"No," Hitoshi interrupts. "It is. You guys start preparing for the marine palace, and I'll look for clues to the new palace."

"I'll help too," Kayo says with a shrug. "It's not like I can do anything to help you guys in the marine center. The least I can do is start looking into this Takara Himura."

"Um," Mary holds up her hand to get their attention. "I can get information for both. Just remind me to give you them, alright?"

"Thank you," Tetsuya says to her with a small smile. She returns it before hiding behind her blue, goggle mask. "Daichi, I know you and Tae have been stressed with your studies, and you don't have to be part of the research for this. We are the Phantom Thieves, though. We're doing this to help people, and we can't just ignore a palace."

"Especially one with kids going in and out all day," Sadayo throws in.

"You know it's not that," Daichi sighs and shakes his head. "Whatever. Let us know how the search goes."

"Will do," Kayo nods, and then turns to the other adult. "Make sure you talk to your mother's neighbor."

"I will this weekend," Hitoshi confirms.

Tetsuya nods and stands. "Then that's all we had to talk about. Thank you guys for coming."

"We're going to the Mementos soon, right?" Hiroki asks.

Tetsuya nods again and walks towards the Librarians' counter. "Yes. I've just got to talk with Tristan and Sofia. There are a few things I need to ask."

Specifically if they know why he felt so strange – stranger than his normal foreshadowing feeling – when he met the small girl from the dance studio.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I've forgotten how much I love just sitting down and writing. Anyway, two more character introductions incoming; one next chapter and one after that. Any guesses as to who?**

 **Thank you,** **quirkydragonfly, for your review! That would be a great story to read, but unfortunately Yume isn't; she's just a 'normal' person from a world with Persona as games. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Yume bobs her head to a song only she can hear as she locks up her apartment door. Moving down the stairs, she greets the few adults she knows as they leave for work. When she steps outside, Yume breathes in the fresh, quarter past seven in the morning, air. Then she starts her jog to the park.

There are no expectations for today. The last working day before the Showa Day holiday has pedestrians walking with a sense of excitement. Shop owners wave and greet their regulars with an extra shot of caffeine in their system to keep up constant smiles. The day is sunny, clear skies, and beautiful.

The soccer group are the only kids in the park.

Yume breathes out tension she didn't know she had and sits on a bench. The water she digs out from her bag tastes wonderful after her hard run. The girl falsely vows to start an alarm if she ever needs to get up this early again. She would never do it; rather, she would stay awake all night than set an alarm in the morning.

The kid from last week is playing forward in the makeshift soccer game. He's not easy to spot, with generic brown hair and average height making him lost in the sea of rambunctious children. In fact, the only thing that Yume can use to spot him is his shoes; the old, barely holding together, cleats.

The feeling from last week doesn't come, so Yume takes the moment to rest and compare what she remembers to what she felt when she saw Tetsuya yesterday. The first time she had the feeling was scary, but… it wasn't as suffocating as meeting Tetsuya. The cool feeling of water dripping down her spine was consistent. A first glance of the boy playing soccer was like a connection missed. It could relate to a half-hearted warning; something inside of her knows nothing will connect and not consume her if he ignites.

Meeting Tetsuya was a worry and a warning. The part of that makes her an inhabitant of this world felt oppressed, majorly so. There is something about him that is more powerful – more aware – of their missed connection. While it is still gasoline – just a liquid – Yume is more afraid of it igniting than she is of oil. Maybe that's why she left without saying anything. She doesn't want to connect with the teenager.

Yume sighs and stuffs her water bottle away, getting ready to continue to the stores past the park. She's probably overthinking it all. It might not mean anything. And, now that she won't ever get a Persona, none of it really matters. She'd be a liability in Tetsuya's circle, if she ever makes it there.

She hops off the bench just in time to see the worn-shoes kid look at her. His eyes widen from across the field, foot freezing in air, and then face plants on the ground. Yume winces because _ow_. She almost goes to walk away, but pauses after a step or two. Before her guilty thought can complete – _is it my fault_ – she jerks her head back over at the yells of the teenage coaches.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had proper cleats," the teenage girl gripes, practically dragging the boy to the bench by his arm. "Sit here and I'll see if anyone has bandages."

Yume's indecision keeps her from running off. The boy hesitantly looks over his shoulder, turning it back quickly when he sees her watching. That makes up her mind.

"Hey," Yume says evenly. He tenses, shakily looking over. Yume blinks because his reddish-brown eyes aren't nearly as intense as Makoto's red ones so that makes the judging stare he turns on her not even all that intimidating. "Are you alright? You took quite the spill."

"I am fine," the boy says rather coolly, turning his head back around to face the field. His shoulders hunch and he discreetly wipes his eyes.

Yume notes that the coach is already continuing the game without coming back to check on him. She sidesteps to look at his front, and then gasps at the sudden urge of guilt – _did this happen because he saw me_ – she feels. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm aware," the boy says, jerking slightly when she tosses her backpack down and starts digging around. He can't stop his curiosity, even though he obviously wants her to leave. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you some bandages," Yume says, heaving out her intense first aid kit. The kid's eyes widen as she hands him her open water bottle and a clean cloth. "I know it's going to sting, but try your best to clean around the cuts."

He takes the stuff robotically and she goes back to searching for bandages. "Why are you doing this?" He bites down a hiss as he puts the cloth around the bleeding road rash.

"Because you shouldn't leave them or they'll get infected," Yume shrugs and grabs the medical fabric and tape instead. She pours a healthy dose of infection/inflammation preventative on the fabric before she pauses. "Are you allergic to anything?"

"No," he frowns, inching back. "Why?"

"Just making sure you're okay to have basic medicine," Yume says, showing him the preventative's squeeze bottle. "Well, you did a good job; most of the dirt is gone. Are you alright if I put this on?"

"That's not a bandage," he inches back further.

"It's not a regular bandage," Yume corrects. "Your wound's too large, so I can tape this on and it acts like the soft part of a normal bandage."

He slowly, pointedly, inches back and holds out his leg. While she gets to work, he pokes to get her attention. Yume hums and he asks wearily, "How old are you?"

"I'm four," Yume says with a big smile. It seems to unnerve him more. "How about you?"

"I am five," the boy says softly. "I turn six this June."

"I have a friend that just turned six," Yume makes conversation as she wraps. "She's excited to start school next year. Are you?"

"Maybe," the boy says vaguely. She feels him twist as she finishes the bandages. "Do you have any parents around?"

"They're out of the country again," Yume answers, leaning back to admire her work. "My babysitter lets me run around in the mornings. Can you move it alright?"

He flinches at the bend, but the bandage doesn't limit his movement. "Yes, thank you."

"It's no problem," Yume says with a bright smiling hiding her inner guilt because if he felt what she did last week, then this may have been caused by her showing up to the park. "Um, I know this is really weird to ask, but can I get your shoe size?"

"Why?" he asks defensively, curling up on the bench.

Yume pretends she doesn't notice his obvious distrust and packs her things away. She doesn't want to talk to him longer than she has to either, but someone needs to get this kid a pair of working shoes. "I'm heading to a store to get myself a new pair of runners, and I want to get you something." She smiles as cutely as she can at him. "To make up for if I hurt you while putting the bandage and stuff on."

She can almost see his mind whirling as he slowly looks from her to his cleats. He nods and looks up at her seriously. "I'm a size ten."

A child's ten, Yume reminds herself. "Ten. Got it. I'll be back in fifteen minutes, tops!"

"I'll be here," the boy says coolly, sending a mean gaze to the children and teenagers that have seem to have forgotten about him.

"I'm Yume," the girl says softly, holding out a hand. "Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier."

His mean look falls and he hesitantly shakes her hand, like he's scared she'll trick him. A quick breath and he introduces himself. "Akechi Goro. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Yume."

"Just Yume," she tells him quickly. Then she gives him a mock salute and starts moving backwards. "Fifteen minutes! Start timing me now!"

She's got a pair of black cleats in hand by the time she really starts questioning why she's doing this. The kid obviously doesn't trust or like her, not that she can blame him; first impressions were kind of… _cold_. She doesn't need to spend any time worrying about those who don't like her. Been there, done that last life. She'll give him the shoes and that will be it; curiosity satisfied.

There is a look about him, though. He reminds her of her sister, before everything went bat crazy. Suspicious of alternative motives, never trusting those she didn't already trust; the boy fits at least one of two requirements. The way he moves - hesitant against her kindness or rigid when he tries to gain benefit - reminds her of when Yume first started working in the underworld. Except this boy does this to the whole world if his glares at the soccer group are any indication.

"Twelve minutes, sixteen seconds," he tells her coolly, eyeing the box in her arms with a desperate hunger.

"Un!" Yume chirps excitedly. "Best time I have!" She stops short of him and bows, sticking the box up at him. "Please except my offering!"

He snorts, and quickly tries to cover it with a cough. "The word you want is _gift_ ," he takes it with steady hands and a cool smile, "not _offering_."

"Gift," Yume repeats, nodding like she didn't already know. "Try them on! I'll run back and change them if they don't fit."

"Where are your shoes?" he says, following her directions.

Yume raises her eyebrows because she was not expecting him to call her out on her lie. Then again, maybe he doesn't realize she was lying. "In my bag. It was easier to run with only one box."

He looks over after he slips the first shoe on. Whatever he seems makes him believe her and he goes to slip the other one on. After tying the laces, he stands and walks a bit with them. "These… fit."

"Ee!" Yume hisses, cheering. "Glad to hear, Mr. Akechi!"

He turns to her with an indescribable emotion in his eyes. It's something between wonder and fear. Happiness and the need to run away. He struggles forming words he wants to say, and settles for a fake smile and an honest, "Thank you for the shoes, Yume."

At that moment, he reminds her of one of her last fond memories of her sister. Yume's breath almost catches in her throat, but she instead smiles and holds out her hands like she's waiting for him come closer for a hug. "Any time."

He steps forward, and then back with a shake of his head. "I should join into the game again."

Yume swallows the déjà vu, because her sister didn't hug her at that moment either. Her arms cross and Yume nods with excitement she doesn't feel. "Alright! I hope you win! Oh, and have a nice Showa Day tomorrow!"

"You too," he says, and she thinks he means it. "Good bye."

"Bye!" Yume chirps and starts walking. She risks a glance over her shoulder before she exits the park, and sees the coach frowning as Goro talks. There is a moment when she thinks about never coming back to the park Thursday morning; to never see a maybe-main character again. That would be her only reason for not coming, though. That would be her only reason for not trying to talk to the boy who's scared the world will turn on him with every gift it gives.

She can't bring herself to not think about coming back. Not coming back would be like not talking to Makoto the day her father was picking her up too late. It would be like leaving Haru in the bathroom while the older girl cried from friends suddenly becoming ex-friends. There would be no playing with Ryuji after he admitted to watching her run by every Sunday. No befriending Futaba because she's younger and quiet. No getting to know Sojiro because he is a government worker.

It would be like staring at the door to Ms. Eguchi's empty apartment, knowing she could phone the memorized number for the woman anytime.

So yes, Yume will be back next Thursday.

She's a cheater, not a quitter.

;;;

"Hi Yume, dear! How are you? Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, Ms. Eguchi, thank you. Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to phone to see how you're doing."

"Oh, I'm fine." Light chuckles through the receiver. "I'm actually coming home tomorrow, since my son and daughter-in-law have the holiday off."

"Oh! Are you coming to Mr. Enomoto's meet-and-greet thing?"

"Yes, actually. I know a lot of his guests, so it will be nice seeing them again. There are a few about children your age. Why don't you come with me tomorrow and we can sit around the café and I'll introduce you to them."

"That sounds-" _wonderful_ "-great! When do you want me to come?"

"We'll make it a lunch, eh? I'll pick you eleven thirty, and then we'll make our way down."

"Yeah! Thank you, Ms. Eguchi!"

Light chuckles. "See you tomorrow, Yume."

"Bye!"

;;;

"Hi Haru! Did you get home alright?"

"Yes, thank you Yume. That's not why I'm phoning, though."

"Oh? What's up?"

"My father's taking me to some tennis courts tomorrow and letting me see if I enjoy the sport!"

"Oh wow! That's amazing!"

"And he's going to stay and watch. I almost don't believe it; he's been so busy with work I didn't think he would take the holiday off."

"That's so exciting, Haru! Are you going to make it a day thing?"

"I think so. Father said we could go to dinner, just the two of us. I really want to spend the day with him."

"Make sure he knows that. And don't let him get distracted! Oh, you're going to have so much fun tomorrow!"

"I hope so. Ah, I've got to go. I'm getting tennis shoes tonight."

"Oh, have fun! I hope you find some you like. And thanks for calling to tell me!"

"Thank you for listening… I'm really glad we can talk like this."

"Anytime! Don't hesitate to call, eh? Let me know how tennis goes, and have a great Showa Day!"

Giggles come through the receiver. "Happy Greenery Day!"

;;;

Yume, curious, looks up Showa Day online. She frowns because the current information about the day clashes with something she remembers from Earth. Here, Showa Day is the unofficial name for April twenty-ninth. Officially, it's Greenery Day. Back on Earth, she remembers Showa Day and Greenery Day being two separate holidays in Japan.

Yume rubs her head and wonders just what else is different here, compared to her last life. She starts a search, picking at a few things as she goes. Mostly everything seems the same, with a distinct lack of information from nineteen-eighty-nine to the two thousands. If she had to guess, it was like the world was devoid of issues for over ten years, _or there was ten years of plot to cover up._

It makes her wonder what other sorts of information aren't there. The most alarming is how medical services haven't progressed in some areas, and are more advance in others. Some disease, like the flu, can be cleared up within hours if a person pays enough. Some surgery techniques are more advanced than her previous life. Like the ones her parents apparently had done soon after she was born.

 _They gave her use of her legs_.

Yume leans back in shock, swallowing hard. She stares at her legs, slowly moving every joint one after the other. Fully functional, and this was because of the people who abandoned her. She can't even try to hate them now, because this was the one wish always forefront in her mind when she was in a wheelchair. They granted her one wish and left, like some fairy godparents.

The girl swallows again and wipes her tears away. She starts looking into her medical file, noting down words she doesn't know and diseases that don't seem familiar. She tests negative for all genetic diseases, except she's considered a carrier for one and cured of another. Her _nihilmotum crura_ – no mobility in legs – was cured and purged from her genetic makeup. She carries the strain for _hypermobility syndrome_ – joints move beyond range – which seems to run on her mother's side of the family.

Yume then runs the list of diseases and conditions through a search engine. Most are the same, or extremely similar, to those of her past Earth. Others seem more magical in nature, like eyebrows changing their shade depending on mood or nails that grow like animal claws and teeth that are sharp and pointed from birth.

One illness she is very glad to not have is the hanahaki disease. Coughing up flowers because the patient is so sure their love doesn't love them back sounds like too much hurt rolled into one genetic disease package.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Any thoughts?**

 **Thank you,** **Guest, for your review! Now they've just got to meet… Thank you again for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"That's a lovely picture," Ms. Eguchi says, setting her teacup down.

"Thank you!" Yume chirps, switching the crayon for the paper and holding it up proudly. "This is me, and that's Miwa and Makoto, and that's Haru!"

"Your friends from dance class, correct?"

"Ee!" Yume nods and goes back to methodically filling in outlines. "I know the other girls my age, but a lot of them were already friends before class and don't really talk to me outside of class."

"Oh," the woman blinks, tilting her head curiously. "You don't sound too sad about that."

"I'm not," Yume shrugs, filling in the pink of Haru's leotard with a red crayon. "I can talk to the others, and that's all I need. And I can always find a partner for partner-things."

"That's good, dear," Ms. Eguchi sighs, relieved. Yume risks a glance up – not for the first time wishing she had bangs to hide behind – when the woman picks up her tea again. The girl looks back down at the drawing, not knowing she's being watched closely by her neighbor. "Enomoto's taking his sweet time…"

Yume makes a noise in her throat, switching crayons. "He seemed very excited for this all week…"

"I am too, but don't tell the others." Ms. Eguchi throws a wink at the curious child. "I haven't seen these people in almost two years. I babysat half of them, just like with Sojiro. He was the oldest of the bunch, though, so he never got to know them. Enomoto and I keep trying to convince him to come to these get-togethers, but he never seems to make it."

"He said he's coming tomorrow," Yume says with surety because Sojiro doesn't lie or make false promises.

"Sure he is," Ms. Eguchi says, fake understanding lacing her tone. He's never gone to one of these, and she's positive he never will.

The door dings open and Ms. Eguchi's mouth spreads into an elated smile. The woman gets up, arms spreading out for a hug. "Caro, it's been far too long."

"Hello, Maki," the tanned man steps into her embrace, patting her back. "Look at you, barely aged a day."

"You flatter," the woman deadpans, stepping back and observing the family. "Ms. Devinia, girls, it's lovely to see."

"Hello, Maki," says the petite woman, the preteen twin girls giving their greetings behind their mother. "And who might you be?"

"This is Yume," Ms. Eguchi says, walking back to the booth to put an arm around the tiny four year old. "Yume, this is Mr. and Ms. Devinia, and their daughters Harlie and Yamara."

"Hello!" Yume calls, standing on the bench seat to wave at them. She pretends the judging looks from the other children don't bother her. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you as well," Ms. Devinia says softly, lightly ushering her children towards Yume. "Why don't you go sit with her, girls?"

"Alright, mum," Harlie sniffs while Yamara purses her lips. Yume drops back into her seat, keeping her smile on her face even as the girls look down their noses at her. It's the 'we're only here because of our parents' faces. There is no lost love going on here. "So… how old are you, Yume."

"I'm four!" Yume says cutely, throwing in a hand with four fingers held up. And _wow_ , does it ever feel good to antagonise these girls. Yamara won't look at her and Harlie is twitching in her seat.

"Oh," Harlie forces out of her throat. "That's… nice. We're almost thirteen."

"So cool!" Yume gushes, tilting her head and widening her eyes. "Are you in school, then?"

"Of course," Yamara finally speaks up, her voice dry. "Why, are you excited to go?"

"Ee!" Yume lies, bobbing her head. The twins grimace one after the other. "There are so many people and so many things to learn!"

"It's not all that great," Yamara deadpans.

"What she _means_ ," Harlie says through gritted teeth and a glare at her sister, "is that school gets harder the longer you're in it."

"Sounds like fun!"

Yume almost breaks composure at the disgusted looks they aim her way. She's saved by the bell above the door going off, followed by a snappy, harsh tinged voice hissing out, "Why did you stop?"

Yume turns to see a man in a business suit and a woman in a sundress. The woman glares at something below her, fingers digging into fists. Yume follows her gaze down and –

 _-water and gasoline–_

\- the girl freezes for a split second.

"Hi!" Yume plasters on a big smile, unable to turn away from the wide grey eyes locked onto hers. "I'm Yume!"

"Oh, Nori," Ms. Eguchi stands and walks over. The man drops the woman's arm in order to hug Maki. "Honestly, how long has it been since you've been in Tokyo?"

"Too long," the man rumbles. "Maki, you remember Kimiko and Akira, yes?"

"Ms. Kurusu," Ms. Eguchi shakes the woman's hand before turning to the boy. "And yes, I remember Akira."

The boy's grey eyes rip away from Yume to stare at the older woman. He nods his greeting, looking rather pale. Yume doesn't blame him; it's taking longer than last time for the feeling to fade. She wants to be afraid, but… he's can't be more than a year or two older than her. With Tetsuya, it was obvious why there was a strong feeling. That teenager is a main character. This boy… is just a kid.

Or maybe Yume's just weird and all of this is happening in her head.

"Go with the kids, Akira," the father ushers his son half-heartedly. Akira's shoulders turn inward and he shuffles his way over. "Caro, how have you been?"

"Come sit here," Yume urges, making room for the boy. He can't really sit next to the other girls, as they spread across their bench as soon as the door opened. He blinks up from under his black fringe, then ducks his head down again and tries to lift onto the bench. He pauses when Yume slides over, slowly holding out a hand. "Here; trust me, I know how hard it is to get on these chairs."

He latches onto her hand and pulls himself up, mouth moving with barely a sound coming out. Yume smiles at him and almost over pulls him. Either he's too light, or her exercises are finally giving her some muscle.

"Hi, Akira," Harlie drawls, face almost bored. "How have you been?"

The boy lets out a breath and flashes a thumb up.

Yamara elbows her sister, hissing, "Now who's the insensitive one. He has lyric slits, remember?"

Yume's eyebrows shoot up and she turns to the embarrassed boy. Lyric slits - a genetic disease that _can't_ be tested for – mean that there is scarring on the patients throat that can't be removed and causes them pain to talk at certain volumes. By the silence of the boy, she assumes he can't talk higher than a whisper, if that.

"I don't mean to be rude," Yume mutters to the pale boy while the sisters fight to themselves, "but are you able to talk at any volume, or would you like a crayon and paper to write on?"

Akira, who looks startled at first, slowly relaxes and breathes out, "Can speak softly."

"Alright," Yume smiles easily and nods to her paper and colouring supplies. "If you ever get tired, just use that. Okay?"

He smiles shyly back and nods, letting his legs drop from his chest to under the table. "Kurusu Akira."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kurusu-" Yume stops when he shakes his head.

"Akira, please."

She smiles so hard her cheeks hurt. "I'm just Yume."

"Yume." He nods.

She giggles, and could have almost forgotten that he made her feel strange at first glance. The way he stares at her, with wonder and interest, reminds her of it, though. She can look at him and see that he's just a kid; a kid who's forced to be quiet by a birth defect. He's someone who's happy to have a person ready to listen and talk _to_ him instead of _around_ him. He isn't a main character. He's a kid.

Like her.

Besides, she's already decided not to actively avoid those that trigger the feeling. "I'm going to guess, by their reaction, this isn't your first get-together with them?"

Akira barely glances at the twins when she motions to them, instead keeping a laser-focus on her. He nods, that small smile coming and going on his face.

"It's my first," Yume sighs, dropping her head dramatically. She peeks an eye open at him. "Ms. Eguchi is my neighbor, and we eat out here for dinner a lot."

He nods in understanding. "She drags you?"

Yume smiles and laughs again. "Well, I like Mr. Enomoto's cooking, too. She pays, so that's really why I get dragged around."

His eyebrows furrow.

"My babysitter sometimes forgets to buy dinner," Yume says. It's not really a lie. Yume is her own babysitter now. And sometimes she forgets to buy dinner on the way home from dance classes. His eyes widen and Yume quickly assures him. "No worries though. Ms. Eguchi is very nice and Mr. Enomoto is a very good chef!"

He opens his mouth, and then shuts when the overheard bell rings. Yume moves slowly, but he seems content to just watch her instead of speaking. The girl stands on the bench and looks over to see the final family and Mr. Enomoto have arrived.

"Muze," the twins greet in sync, shifting over to let the younger girl up.

Yume sits back down with a wave to the adults Ms. Eguchi introduces. Then she turns to the porcelain-white girl about her age and waves. "Hi. I'm Yume."

"Muze," the other girl greets with a wide smile and narrowed eyes. Then she turns to the twins without another thought. "How are you two?"

Yume blinks a few times before turning to Akira. "Was that rude?" The boy blinks; startled she's still talking to him. "I think that was rude. Was that rude?"

He looks over to the three girls sharing a bench, and then back to the small black and red haired girl. Akira holds up two fingers and then smushes them.

"A little?" Yume asks. He nods. "Yah, you're right. Do you have to go through this every time, or is it just because I'm here?"

He's shaking his head before she finishes, pointing to himself.

"Really?" she frowns; sitting crossed legged on the bench so she can face him. She lightly pokes him so he looks up at her. "You're really nice, you know?" By his disbelieving look, he doesn't. "You are. I can tell, you know? Just by looking at you." He blinks and raises an eyebrow and _she's_ _so jealous_. "Are you alright if I bother them? I swear it will be funny."

He straightens, finally lifting his head up all the way. His grey eyes are as deep and expressive as the first time she looked at them head-on. He slowly looks over at the gossiping three, and then jerks his head back to her expectant gaze. "Nothing mean."

"Of course," Yume nods. She uncrosses her legs and straightens properly on the bench, throwing him a wink. "Now watch.

"Excuse me!" Yume whines loudly, making Akira flinch. She reaches over and squeezes his hand apologetically. The desired effect happens, and the teenagers glance over. "Hey! You guys aren't talking to us!"

"Sorry, Yume," Harlie says with a strained smile. "We were just catching up."

Yume pouts, eyes going wide. "What about? This is my first time here, you know? I want to know about you guys too!"

Well, their pinched expressions are beautiful for her to witness. She does a quick scan with an innocent expression, and picks up Akira's small gape. Apparently he didn't think she could pull it off. Wow.

"So?" Yume draws out the word when Harlie tries to put on a fake smile. Said teenager grits her teeth. "What are we talking about?"

She is going to have fun with this.

;;;

Yume has to yank her hand out of Akira's tight grip in order to flick his leg. This is the fifth time he's almost cracked out a laugh, lips steadily twitching higher and grip getting more and more painful as he tries to swallow his joy at other's expense.

Yamara looks ready to cry in relief when her parents call them to leave. The siblings quickly hurry out of the booth, Muze following behind to ask her parents when it's time to go.

"I'm probably not going to be invited back," Yume sighs. It's too bad; she was starting to like the girls under their pointed exterior.

"I'll request you," Akira whispers, slumping onto her shoulder, shaking. Yume startles, and then wraps an arm around him. He shakes it off, falling into her lap and burying his head to hide his laughter.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Yume smirks, lightly tugging on one of his curls. "I'll be here all weekend."

"Really?" he asks, turning onto his back so he can face her.

"Of course," Yume smiles back. "My dance classes are cancelled this weekend for the holiday."

He makes a face. "Have to take dance classes too."

"Oh, what kind?" Yume tilts her head curiously. "I'm taking ballet."

"Formal dance," he barely breathes out the words, still watching her with that all-seeing gaze.

"Maybe you could teach me a few moves," Yume smiles cutely. He raises his eyebrow again, somehow snagging her hand even though he can't see it. He brings it up and plays with her fingers. "What? You don't even have to say anything, just position me and drag me back and forth across the room."

He smiles that small smile of his. "If you put it that way…"

"Akira," the gruff voice of Mr. Kurusu sounds beside the booth. Yume looks over, while the boy in her lap jerks up with stiff limbs. "We're leaving."

Akira nods and moves to get out. Yume lightly tugs on his shirt, making him freeze.

"Here," Yume scribbles her phone number down and rips it off her drawing, leaving barely any space above 'her' head. She reaches around the frozen boy and drops the paper in his locked fingers. "This is my number. It's free to call me, long distance or not." One of the few things her parents set up, like they would have had the thought to phone their forgotten daughter. "So, you know, call me whenever. I don't care if it's for a chat or to rant or whatever. Just, yah."

"Thanks," he breathes out the word, not looking as he slides off the bench. Yume watches concerned as he shuffles his way over to his parents. His mother glares at him and his father ignores him in favour of saying goodbye to the two adults left. Akira lifts his head up straight once more to look at her unhindered. She waves with a small smile. He nods, and then follows his parents out.

"Did you have a nice time, Yume?" Mr. Enomoto asks.

"Yes, sir," Yume replies, making her way to the two. "But I think I may have been annoying."

"What?" Ms. Eguchi scoffs. "Yume, you aren't annoying, dear."

Yume shrugs, frown pulling at her lips. "Then maybe the others just don't like me. Akira is nice, though."

"I'm glad you made a friend," Ms. Eguchi coos, reaching down and offering her hand. Yume takes it, a little shocked at how late it actually is. "How about we go eat out tonight?"

"Am I not good enough for you?" Mr. Enomoto jokes.

"We'll see enough of each other tomorrow," Ms. Eguchi says dryly. Once out, she smirks at the girl. "So, how much of that was you defending the young Kurusu and how much was just to annoy the girls?"

"Why, Ms. Eguchi," Yume gasps with fake innocence. "I am shocked that you would even suggest that…" the girl smirks, "that I would do it for completely unselfish reasons."

And the woman _laughs_.

;;;

It's near midnight and the phone rings. Yume frowns - quickly putting her datamining on pause - and skips to the receiver. "Ishii family household, Ishii Yume speaking."

"..It's Akira."

"Hi," Yume smiles and walks back over to her laptop. "Long time no see. What's up?"

She hears a relieved breath through the phone and the sound of shuffling. "I… I'm sorry for phoning so late."

"Hey, it's no problem." Yume puts the phone in one ear and finishes off her self-appointed job. "I did tell you, you can phone whenever, didn't I?"

"Yes," he breathes out another relieved breath. "Yes… You did."

"Then it's okay," Yume shrugs to shift the phone into a more comfortable position. "Don't ever worry about phoning me. I'll call you back if I ever miss your call, eh?"

"Thank you," he rushes out softly.

"So," Yume draws out the word. Again she asks, "What's up?"

It takes him a moment to answer. "Would you mind… if we talk… until my parents come back?"

"That's no problem," Yume replies easily.

"It… They won't be back for at least an hour."

Well now, _that_ is interesting. "Again, it's no problem." It's not like she won't be awake for a couple more hours. Yume backs out of the program she's tapped into and starts shutting down her computer. "I'm glad you called. Normally it's pretty quiet this time of night."

He chuckles, and it takes her a moment to remember that he is a quiet person. "Are… your parents asleep?"

"They are actually out of the country right now," Yume replies, shutting her laptop screen and leaning back. "I'm the only one awake in my apartment."

"Oh…" he sounds interested, but doesn't touch further on the topic. Instead, he starts by asking if she has any favourite books she reads before bed.

They talk for an hour and a half, Akira quickly telling her he has to go when he hears his parents at their hotel door. Yume calls a goodbye, and then stares at the phone in her hand with a mixture of feelings. The kid is so nice and polite, with a mischievous side peeking out every now and then. And he stayed on the phone with her for _an hour and a half_ , with neither of them ever running out of conversation. It's a nice feeling and _goodness_ did she ever miss that.

No expectations. Just a friend – _maybe-friend_ – looking for a chat.

"Maybe I need to get out more," Yume ponders, standing with a groan as she goes to return the phone. Or maybe, just maybe, she needs to enjoy what the weekend brings. New friends and all.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter was a goal for me and I really hope I did it justice. Any thoughts?**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your reviews! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reviewing!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"Good morning! Ishii residence. Ishii Yume speaking."

"It's Haru…"

"What's wrong? You sound sad. Did everything go okay yesterday? Do I need to beat someone up?"

"Nothing's wrong… because _I get to play tennis in June!_ "

"Oh wow! Congratulations! You really had me worried there."

Giggles. "Sorry. I wanted to surprise you. We even had a really nice dinner last night. Father's promised to reduce etiquette lessons over the next few months so I can do two activities He is insisting I do the acrobatics course in the fall before school."

"I was thinking about doing that class too, actually. Let me know if you do sign up."

"Of course! It would be really nice to know someone going in."

"Will you be okay with your sports this summer?"

"Oh yes. I'm sure I'll meet some new people. And I'll phone you to let you know how much fun tennis is."

"Alright, Haru. Will you have your second sport decided by Monday?"

"Most likely. Oh, but I'll tell you then! Sorry for phoning and leaving so suddenly. I had no other time to call today."

"It's no problem! See you Monday!"

"Bye Yume!"

;;;

"I saw you out running again today," Ms. Eguchi says, smirking when the little girl pauses with her spoon in the air. "You won't be too tired to play with the others today, will you?"

"No," Yume shakes her head and continues eating lunch. She swallows and pouts, head turning to the door. "When are they coming?"

"The Kurusu family will be here soon," the woman assures the girl. "Then we can all meet up with the others."

"But what about Sojiro?" Yume pouts at the woman.

Ms. Eguchi sighs and shakes her head. "He's coming tonight." Under her breath she mutters "I don't know how you did it…"

Yume grins and shows her an empty plate, messing with the woman. "Ta da!"

The older woman chuckles and gathers the things, setting them to the side for Mr. Enomoto to wash later. Yume moves to the end of the bench and swings her legs, bored.

"Hey, mum," says a male voice, the door above the shop ringing. Yume freezes for a split second, and then continues swinging her legs, leaning to see the black haired man. She almost can't believe it. "Oh, hey, um… Yume, right?"

"Hai!" Yume nods her head. "Hello Hitoshi!"

Ms. Eguchi's youngest son smiles easily at her, and Yume hides her tense reaction. Is he here because of Tetsuya? Or because he wants to see his mother? "Why's it so quiet here today?"

"Enomoto is busy this weekend," Ms. Eguchi says with raised eyebrows. She forces her son into a hug and then starts pinching his cheeks. "Now, what's with the surprise visit?"

"Mum," he whines, shaking out of her grip. He rubs his cheek and sticks out his tongue. "Don't you believe I just wanted to say hi?"

"I would if you did normally."

"Fine," he sighs dramatically. "I wanted to treat you today, since I know you have the weekend off. But if you're busy, maybe little Yume and I can hang out."

"Oh no," Ms. Eguchi laughs. "You can join us when we meet the other families. You remember the Devinia's, don't you?"

He makes a face. "Unfortunately."

"Not you too," Ms. Eguchi laughs. She elaborates at his confused face. "Yume irritated their kids to the point they're staying in the hotel this afternoon."

He barks a laugh and turns to kid in time to see her shrug. Yume looks up with wide, innocent eyes and sweetly tells him, "It's not like they didn't deserve it."

"I believe ya, kid," he cackles. "I remember those girls went they were babies. Attention hogs from the get-go."

"They aren't so good with kids either." Yume dimples and pokes her cheek with a deliberate wink.

"You're probably a little terror, aren't you?" Hitoshi laughs.

The door rings open again Yume straightens and waves, cheeky expression falling away. "Hi Akira!"

The boy shows his small smile and nods back. As soon as his parents are distracted by Ms. Eguchi and her son, he slips over and offers her a hand.

"Aren't you a gentleman," she teases, taking it and jumping down. He steadies her before stepping back. "Are you excited to see Shibuya? I've only been a few times since it's a long walk and they don't really sell that many groceries. They have a good bookstore, though." She'll never admit she looked that piece of information up this morning.

He nods, blinking the hair out of his eyes.

"We aren't paying for you to get a book," Ms. Kurusu says, suddenly standing over them. Yume notes the woman's eyes are a lighter shade of grey then her son, and the teasing expression on the blonde, supermodel-body woman is a bit too sharp. "So if you want anything, make sure you pay with your own money."

Akira, stiff as a board, nods.

"What was that, hun?" Ms. Kurusu asks, leaning down.

"Yes mother," Akira replies, still a whisper but louder than what he's used to talk with Yume.

Ms. Kurusu taps her nails on her son's head like a pat. Akira stands perfectly still, and Yume watches with eyes a little too wide. It's very interesting, seeing a… _dysfunctional_ family and knowing none of them have a dungeon. The girl lightly pokes the boy, drawing his attention. Steely grey eyes watch her unblinking, and then turn to the hand she holds out.

"You won't let me get lost, right?" Yume asks, wiggling her fingers.

He breathes out and shakes his head, grabbing her hand. "You know the area."

"Not well," Yume says, face drawing into a small pout. He blinks, surprised. "And you're taller than me, so you can see easier."

The tension leaves his shoulders and he smiles that small smile again. "Shorty."

"I'm not short," Yume dramatizes. She can see the laughter in his eyes and keeps going. "I eat carrots and drink milk just like everyone else."

Akira gently pulls her along as the adults exit the café. His head tilts, mocking her with his smile. "…Aren't carrots for sight?"

"…Nerd," Yume ducks her head.

"Geek," he calls her, referring to her late night talk about computers. She lets her hair fall further around her head, shielding her smile. He pulls her hair back, catching the smile before she can squash it. Letting her hair drop, he stands a lot taller.

They keep behind the adults, bantering quietly. Ms. Eguchi keeps an eye on them, looking back and softly smiling with every glance. Yume catches her once or twice, and smiles back. She knows the older woman was worried she had scared everyone off with her act the day before. Thankfully, Akira seemed more impressed than weirded out at how fast she could change from sweetheart to annoyance.

The group eventually meets with the other adults. Yume apparently scared off Muze as well, so they are the only kids. Ms. Eguchi eventually convinces her youngest son to look after them when Yume explains they want to go to the bookstore. Once in, the young girl marches to the nearest employee and asks where the mythology and literature sections are.

"I don't really _want_ anything," Yume answers Akira's unspoken question. Truth is she doesn't have time to read anything, not that all these myths and literature are all that different from her past life. She drags the amused boy behind her by their clasped hands. "But you said you like this stuff, so I've got a challenge for you."

She stops, pretending not to notice Hitoshi moving a few rows over to hover without intruding. Akira stares back at her, interest in his gaze.

"Pick three books you want to read," Yume tells him, smiling winningly. "And I'll pick three I want to read. And then I'll pick one I want _you_ to read. And _then_ help me pick out a book for _me_ to read."

His eyebrows furrow, question on his face.

"Trust me," Yume says, clasping her free hand around their joined ones. He looks down when she squeezes before stepping back and dropping his hand. "And if you can't hold them all, give them to Hitoshi to hold."

"I'm not your butler," the man calls from another aisle.

"Says you," Yume calls back puerilely. She meets the curious grey gaze and motions to the nearby section. "Go; be free you literature nerd."

He smiles and bows cheekily. "Your majest-geek."

"You did not!" Yume shouts at his retreating back. "I will pun you back for this, Akira!"

"Where are you going?" Hitoshi asks as she storms by.

"To find a book on puns," Yume grits out.

She ends up in the manga/visual novel section first because _of course_ she does. It's almost painful to choose only three of the options. Akira and Hitoshi find her there, petting the shiny covers and whining at all the options.

"Stop it," Yume pouts at Akira's soft giggling. Hitoshi rolls his eyes and she interrupts before he can say anything. "So, you can obviously see my choices. Show me yours."

Akira's three choices are a book of basic myths in all religions, the first of many books detailing Fae myths, and a literature piece called The Fallen Heist. All three are very much above the normal reading level for their age.

"Well," Yume shows him the three manga volumes she chose. "I guess you should pick mine first, then we'll do yours."

He nods, looking through the many flashy covers with thoughtful glances. Yume reads over his choices again. An idea forms when she reads the synopsis of the Fallen Heist. When Akira comes back with an educational-looking – it's really not, but she's not telling him that – manga, Yume takes it without question and starts to the literature section. "Hey, Akira, do you like crime novels?"

He glances to the side and shrugs. She takes it to mean, yes but that his parents don't like him reading them. "What do you like in your main character?"

He thinks about it for a moment before he shrugs. "They do good things."

Yume reaches up on her toes and slips The Great Thief from the shelf. She hands it to him with a smile. She enjoyed the few literature works she read of Maurice Leblanc in her last life. Besides, she's a regular at a café named Leblanc. A café they met at. It would be harder to make this more ironic. "Does it look alright?"

He nods, placing it on his pile.

"Now," Yume winks. "Follow me."

He and Hitoshi keep close as she marches to the almost silent till. The attendant perks up, glancing at the kids first and then Hitoshi. The adult in the group tries to ask what Yume's doing, but the girl just reaches up to the till. The attendant takes the books, looking a little worried. Then Yume picks up the books from a confused Akira and repeats the motions.

"Can you ring those up?" Yume says, eyes just wide enough and smile and head tilted _just enough_. "I have the money to pay for them."

She ignores the disbelief coming from the boy beside her. Hitoshi falls silent as Yume pays with a credit card. He takes the bags of books when she asks him.

"If your parents ask," Yume smiles to Akira as they leave the store, "I bought you those books because I'm one hundred percent bribing you to play with me tomorrow."

His grey eyes haven't left her since she paid for the books. There is a jocose feel to his smile. "Are you?"

"Is it working?" Yume counters.

His smile answers yes through the silence.

"Keep walking," Hitoshi sighs and the kids scamper to catch up. "Why didn't you get me anything, Yume?"

She wants to roll her eyes at the smirking man. Instead she sticks her tongue out and makes a face. "We can go back and get you something if you really want a book."

He makes a face, and Akira snorts. Hitoshi shakes the heavy bags, answering, "No thanks. How do you not get bored reading those big things, Akira?"

The boy shrugs. "Good reads."

"We all have different tastes," Yume nods at his answer. "The one Akira picked for me is about a harem."

Hitoshi chokes while the curly haired boy frowns. Akira makes a pattern on his arm. It takes Yume a moment to recognize that he's writing the word. "Yes, that's harem."

"Definition?" he asks.

"A bunch of women who are all in love with one man," Yume replies calmly, trying to tone down the depth of the concept. Hitoshi is choking on laughter, not believing this is what his life has become. "A reverse harem is the opposite of a harem; one woman with many men in love with her." She narrows her eyes and pouts at the boy. "You're cute enough you could probably get a harem one day."

"Alright, kids," Hitoshi chokes out and stops Akira from replying to that. "This is the movie theater. Now, where are the others?"

The adults find them, Ms. Eguchi raising her eyebrows at the bags her son carries. The man continues to carry them through the theatre, and promises to on the way home as well. Yume buys him a bunch of snacks as thanks. Akira is excited when she gives him the 'free' pop and candy bar that comes with her popcorn. They sit side-by-side in the movie theatre, passing the tub of popcorn back and forth the whole kid-friendly movie.

There's a pang in her heart, near the end when the hero is confronting the true villain of the movie. It's been years, even with her previous life, since she's stepped foot inside a theatre. Movie nights with friends were a thing, but an actual, big screen, movie experience hasn't happened in far too long. Everything is so much more exciting, more engaging, than she remembers.

Yume's missed this kind of normal.

They return to the café after, Yume and Akira locked in an intense discussion of who was better: the hero or the sidekick. He's for the hero, and she's for the background character. They settle side-by-side in a booth, Hitoshi dropping the book bags and effectively stopping the conversation when Akira pulls out a book from his pile.

"I don't mind if you read it," Yume insists with a shrug. "Just pass me one of mine."

He hands her the harem book and she bites down an eye roll. They relax, letting the silence be broken only by page turns. Eventually, the children who missed today's outings are dragged to the café from the Devinia's hotel room. They move to a different booth, completely ignoring the readers. Yume shuffles over and leans against Akira. He sighs and rests against her, tilting his head to hit her shoulder and moving his book sideways against hers so it blocks the other kids out.

Halfway through her book, the bell over the door rings and Yume perks up curiously. Akira leans away, still reading, so she can get up and look.

"Futaba!" Yume shouts, scrambling over the bench divider so she has a free shot at the girl. "Sojiro! Futaba! Hi!"

Futaba wastes no time zooming from behind Sojiro's leg to Yume once the girl gets on solid ground. The orange haired child says a muffled hello as she koalas Yume. Yume protectively hugs the girl closer.

"Hi, Yume," Sojiro sighs, glancing wearily to the other adults in the café. "We're not staying long, but I thought we should check in, see if Maki left you high and dry."

"It's good to see you too," Ms. Eguchi says with a wry smile. "Get over here so I can introduce you."

Sojiro clicks his tongue and gives Yume a knowing look. "If Futaba wants to go, you'll let me know, right?"

"Ee!" Yume nods, curling her shoulders as if to protect the girl. She smiles at him. "Thank you for coming."

He sighs and nods, starting towards social interaction with a pained look. "Only because of you, kid."

"Futaba," Yume mutters, petting the girl's hair. "There's someone I want you to meet." The girl squeaks and squeezes Yume tighter. The red and black haired girl wheezes and keeps soothing the smaller one. "He's really nice and there's no need to be scared of him, alright? And you can decide to leave whenever you want. Just tell me and I can shout for Sojiro, okay?"

"Okay," Futaba squeaks, slowly pulling back. She then lifts Yume's shirt up – the older girl squawking in surprise – and pulls it over her head to cover her face. "Lead me to him."

Yume rolls with it, putting her hands on the girl's shoulders and guiding her a few steps to the bench seat. Akira is staring under his dark fringe, a tension lining his shoulders. Yume doesn't know whether it's because of Sojiro and Futaba's arrival, of Yume jumping up to greet them, or of meeting someone new. Maybe all of it, or maybe none of it. He's suddenly unreadable and it bothers her. "Akira, may I present to you the most amazing Isshiki Futaba. Futaba, this is the wonderful Kurusu Akira."

Futaba squeaks.

Akira nods, head lifting slightly.

"Eyes," Futaba whispers through the shirt.

Yume nods. "He does have awesome eyes, doesn't he?"

Akira's cheeks turn slightly pink. Futaba nods quickly, lifting Yume's shirt off her face to really look at him. "Just like Grey Dove!"

Akira sits up straight, mouth widening into an 'O' shape. "…You watch Phoenix Ranger Feathermen?"

"Yes!" Futaba shouts, running up to the booth. Yume helps her up, Akira making room for her to sit. Yume comes up next, watching them talk with a smile. "Seen every episode!"

"Seen a few," Akira says with a sad smile and a hesitant glance at his parents. "They are remaking it… aren't they?"

Futaba nods sternly. "Mhmm! Phoenix Ranger Feathermen R! Starting this Fall!"

Akira tilts his head to look at Yume. "Book?"

Yume nods and sits up on the table to get around Futaba. She struggles grabbing the book at the bottom of her bag but exclaims positively when she pulls it. She holds it towards Futaba. "Ta da!"

Futaba yanks it from her hands. "They already make book?"

"I thought it was a knock-off," Yume says bashfully. "Is it… really the remake?"

Futaba makes an unsure noise in the back of her throat. "Maybe." She looks up with wide eyes. "Read it?"

"Have I read it?" Yume clarifies. Futaba nods. "No, I just got it. Do you want to read it?"

"Yes," she nods thrusts the book at Yume. "Read together."

Yume gingerly takes the book in her hands, eyes wide. She looks over to Akira, who's smirking under his fringe. "Are you alright if I read out loud?"

He nods and shuffles over, although there's not much room for him. "Read to both of us?"

Just three kids reading manga. Yume smiles and ducks her head to hide how touched she feels. "Un," she nods, shuffling over to sit between them. "That sound like fun."

They read the rest of the night, only stopping to eat dinner. Futaba falls asleep soon after the third chapter. Sojiro comes to pick her up, patting Yume and wishing her a goodnight before they leave. Yume and Akira continue to read it, Akira doing the short fourth chapter before handing it back with a small embarrassed blush at Yume's winning smile and her complements on how great he is at reading.

She doesn't expect his phone call that night, but call he does; not even three hours since they split up and left the café.

"I convinced my parents to let me play with you tomorrow," Akira says softly through his hotel phone. "It's only for a few hours but… I didn't want to stay at the café the whole morning."

Yume feels touched that he's comfortable enough with her to use her as an excuse to get away. She gets the feeling his parents care too much about him and not enough about who he is. Restrictive, but Yume's proven to have no impact on the social circle of the adults. Or maybe it was the books. Who knows, they could be hoping she buys him more things tomorrow; which she totally would because it became rather obvious back with Makoto that buying things for others is her way of showing she cares and that she is trying to make life a little easier for others. And this kid needs someone to make him smile. "Would you be against going to a park tomorrow? We could play or you could show me how to dance. Or we could go around shops. Or something."

He chuckles quietly. "The park sounds wonderful. Thank you."

"Alright!" Yume cheers, bookmarking her book with one hand. "Oh and how are the books?"

"Good," he pauses. "My parents didn't ask."

Huh. "About how the books are or where you got them?"

"They didn't ask about you," which means they didn't ask where he got them. "The Great Thief is good."

"I knew you would like it," Yume celebrates again. She looks down at the manga on her lap. "The harem book is going well. The main character just hugged the very pretty girl." That's keeping it at a kid-friendly level.

Akira chuckles. "I did that today too."

Yume almost face-palms. That was smooth and how the heck did he do that? He's _five_. "So did I. Futaba is really, really cute, isn't she?"

 _Take that_ , she thinks while he giggles. They get talking about their books, and it lasts until his parents come back from wherever. He hurriedly says goodbye, and she's left staring at the phone again.

And… she's really looking forward to playing with someone at the park tomorrow. It's just too bad Ryuji won't be there. She thinks the boys might have gotten along well.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Any thoughts?**

 **Thank you, myth-maiden, for your review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! It was interesting you mentioned them… :) Some angst may be incoming, but hope you enjoyed the fluff of this chapter! Thank you for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! Glad you're enjoying! Thank you again for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I'm always worried it may seem forced, so thank you so much for the reassurance. I really hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

 **What – Has Happened, Will Happen, Or Won't Happen – Again:**

 _May 1, 20XX_

 _As Morgana hints at, the teenager is tired. There isn't any hesitation; Akira heads to bed. He almost doesn't bother changing out of his uniform. Every movement hurts and he's been knocked down too many times today to count because everything feels harder this time than it has been the last few runs (has it ever been easy, though)._

 _This is… what? Oh, that's right; he can't hold more than ninety-nine of the same items in his bag. Well, it's been a few runs – or few dozen, he can't remember – since that happened. He can't even add up the girlfriend gifts because he's done everything from_ multiple different harems _to_ number one bachelor _too many times._

 _This version of him is also a wuss compared to past ones. In fact, it's not just him. Ryuji and Ann don't have the skill they've had in past runs. That's why today, the very last day before they could be expelled, is also the day they stole Kamoshida's treasure. (Would they be expelled? He can't remember. Runs get blurry about a month before they end.)_

 _F**k. He's tired._

 _What he doesn't expect is the dream._

 _Morgana's good for shooing him to bed when Igor wants to talk to him. When he has to sleep in the evening because the stupidly weak versions of him need it, he dreams then. Not after a palace. Not when Morgana tries to sleep on him. Not unless it's Igor._

 _Dreaming that night is a surprise. He's a child in his room with a phone to his ear (when was the last time he saw those four walls? Did his parents even keep his things after they sent him away? The Akira he is in this run thinks his parents sold everything he didn't take in his box). There's fuzziness to the dream; he can't quite see what young him sees. He can't quite hear what's being said through the phone. It's almost like he's in water; it stays around him and he can cut through it, but it won't clear._

 _He listens anyway._

 _He doesn't like the reminder of his room, so he shuts his eyes. A second, dream-like, sense lets him know that child him keeps his eyes open. That's fine. The child can keep staring into the dark shadows of the night (what's the kid doing up so late? (It's a dream) Right; a dream. The palace must have been worse than he thought if he's forgetting). He's seen enough shadows and dark things to last the month (not that Morgana will agree. Mementos are coming)._

 _Akira (Joker (Arsene)) can't make out a word coming through the phone, but the child him laughs quietly. The voice (clearly female (not clearly there's water in his ears)) is unrecognizable. Not one person he knows sounds like the voice mumbling through liquid. It's not uncommon; he's seen faces of people he doesn't recognize in his dreams before. But then he looks for them on the streets and finds them (voices have never happened. It doesn't matter, really)._

 _Then the child looks down, to the covers of his bed. Akira opens his eyes, keeping them open to try and see through the smudging of the water. The dream child is staring at a book. Akira makes out the title after long minutes of staring._

 _The Great Thief._

 _(This is a dream)_

 _Of course it's a dream. He's never read that book before time started looping. Not once in the – insert large number – times has Akira started a run having read that book. He only ever reads if the current Akira is curious about Arsene (his other self; we art thou and all that). Only one run has he never found the library and never read the book. This is a dream. He's dreaming on the evening of May the first, after a palace._

 _The water-vision dream is a nice change from only sleeping what feels like a few minutes. It lasts until the child turns off the phone (don't turn it off. Please let this last) and falls asleep._

 _Akira opens his eyes to Sojiro's attic._

* * *

 **What Continues To Be:**

May 1, 2005

"Yume, do you dance?"

The young girl looks up at Hitoshi, pausing in her chewing to swallow and nod, "Ee!" She doesn't reveal the defeated feeling sitting in her stomach because here they go. She expected this sooner.

"Where at?" asks the birthday man in the bench across from hers.

Yume gives the name, discreetly looking around Leblanc for an out of this conversation. Akira hasn't come yet and she's silently cursing the fact they didn't make a concrete time to meet. Hitoshi asks about her teachers, and Yume knows right then she has to be the one to explain Himura. Yume starts talking excitedly about hers, and then quieter when she mentions the instructor she'll eventually have.

"You don't sound all that excited about the older instructors," he frowns in thought. "Any reason why?"

He really needs to work on his sleuthing skills. Yume brings up Madam Himura, and he perks in his chair. She explains her concerns, stating that some names she calls and tells the girls are really mean.

"Like?"

Yume swallows, because this one threat the woman cooed sent more than a couple girls running in tears. "She told them that if they didn't practice seriously, then she isn't teaching ballerinas but a bunch of whores; and they don't want to be whores, do they?"

The man across from her drops all pretense of interest and looks at her seriously. Yume fidgets and ducks her head, because she was not expecting that. Whatever he goes to ask next is cut off by the bell going off and Yume shuffles over quickly to greet the newcomers. "Hi, Akira!"

He nods, smiling.

"Stand up straight," his father mutters to him.

Akira's smile drops and he stiffens. Yume's hands clench too hard on the wooden bench as she jumps down, nail catching. She hisses, but just shakes her hand in the air to ignore the pain. Her eyes don't leave the grey ones locked onto her every move. "Are you ready to go? Or do you want breakfast."

"We ate before we came," Ms. Kurusu titters, smiling sweetly at the girl. "Thank you so much for showing our little Akira around today, dear."

"Of course," Yume says smoothly with a real-looking fake smile. She unconsciously steps closer to the boy, trying to shield him even though he's at least an inch taller than her. "Is there a time you want us back, Ms. Kurusu?"

"Oh," the blonde supermodel woman coos, fingernails tapping against her chin as she pretends to think. "Sometime after lunch, dear. And where are you going again?"

Yume gives the name of the park, followed by the streets around it. This woman plays a good, high-society housewife. The only tell is that the lady barely looks to her son when saying goodbye. If the girl hadn't been looking, Yume wouldn't have noticed anything wrong.

"Did you have enough to eat?" Yume asks Akira nervously as soon as they're a block from the café. He looks over and nods. "Alright... but if you get at all hungry, let me know. Don't suffer in silence, you hear me?"

A smile flirts across his face before its back to neutral. He nods.

Yume almost groans. He hasn't said one word yet, and she doesn't know if it' because he's used to her or if she did something. She can't remember doing anything to offend him. She didn't _mean_ to offend him. So why the silence?

When he does talk, it's a neutral statement after they pass the last vendor that wishes her a hello. "You know a lot of people."

"They look out for me," Yume replies, snagging his hand and nudging him towards the park. He grips her hard. She still can't pinpoint if that's good or bad. "I spend a lot of mornings running around this area. I also shop here sometimes, so they try to butter me up."

The smile comes and goes from his face again. He stares at the sidewalk and misses the moment they cross the threshold, so she hops a step ahead. He glances up, and then lifts his head high enough his bangs fall out of his eyes.

"Ta da!" Yume cheers. Their hands fall apart as he gazes around at the happy families all around. "So, what do you want to do?"

He frowns, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows. Yume falters when his intense stare turns to her. "Is there… a clear area?"

Yume glances around, eyes landing on the spot under a tree where groups of teenagers or couples usually hang out. She nods and points out the currently empty space. A small squeak comes from her when he latches onto her hand and pulls her to it.

"Backpack off," he tells her, stopping under the tree. Yume complies slowly, watching him carefully. He holds out both hands, face softening at whatever hesitance he sees on her face. "Come here." He motions with his fingers.

Yume steps forward, eyes widening when Akira leans forward and grabs her hands. He positions one of her hands on his shoulder, "hold on" and puts his free hand below her armpit. Yume looks into his smirking face, glancing down when he does. He pulls with the hand still clasped and raised, leading her. "Don't overpass my front foot."

Yume agrees.

…And suddenly realizes she's dancing.

"One, two, three," Akira breathes his counting. Yume focuses on that as she struggles to match his steps and not start bawling. "One, two, three. One, two, three, turn."

Yume lets out a breathy laugh.

"Eyes up," Akira says softly, firmly. Yume snaps her head up, and he frowns. They miss a beat before he resumes the momentum. "Why are you sad?"

"I'm not sad," Yume protests, but her voice cracks. "I just- I never thought." She takes a calming breath because how do you explain to a child – _how can she explain to herself_ – just how she's breaking and healing in this moment? "I don't know the words to explain. I've… I've dreamt… I dream about dancing like this… It's… I'm not saying this right and I'm making it weird, I'm sorry; you just wanted to teach me formal dancing andnowI'mruiningitI'msosorry-"

"Yume," he barely whispers her name, but she stops making noises immediately. "Is this alright?"

Yume opens her mouth, but can't force the – _I'mdancing, ofcoursethisisalright_ – words out of her mouth. She nods, swallowing thickly, and smiles a tiny smile at him. "Ee."

He nods and they continue to move around under the tree. He guides her into the steps, softly muttering what she has to do between the odd encouragements. Yume relaxes and flows with him, soaking the teachings like a sponge. He eventually calls for a break, and she can't stop grinning. They sit against the tree's trunk, Yume digging out water bottles and sandwiches she made for a snack.

"Are you allergic to anything?" Yume asks hesitantly, cheeks flushing more so in embarrassment than exhaustion. "Sorry. I should have asked last night."

He shakes his head no, taking the small sandwich container delicately with wide eyes.

"Sorry," Yume cringes. She really needs to start practicing snack-meals again. At least he took the one where the bread doesn't look like it's been mauled. If she eats discreetly enough, he won't have to see the disaster in her hands. "It's not the prettiest, but isn't horrible, I promise."

"It's p…" Akira trails off, still staring at the box. He looks up and gives his small smile. "It's fine."

"You haven't even seen it," Yume ducks her head, making a face at hers. Definitely not enticing. What was she ever thinking? Sandwiches are not a simple quick-meal.

She looks up when she hears him swallow, and she takes a discreet bite of hers. He's still smiling at her.

"Well, you didn't choke it down," Yume says after swallowing, making him smile more. "So… not too bad?"

"Not too bad," he agrees.

She breathes a sigh of relief. "You'll have to make me a list of things you like. That way I can practice to make a nicer lunch than this," she glares at her hidden through-a-grinder looking bread, "next time you come to Tokyo."

There is silence. She looks up to see his smile is completely gone and he's back to unreadable, head tilted down Akira. She can't figure out what she did to offend him. Does he not like lunch? Does he not want to come back to Tokyo? Did she actually scare him off and he's just being nice and pretending to like her? "What's wrong?"

"Do you really mean it?" he asks so quietly she almost misses it. He shakes his head, fists tightening on the container as he looks up under his fringe. "Why would you want a list of foods _I_ like?"

"So you can eat pretty versions of your favourite food?" Yume replies, not quite understanding the context of what he asks. Is he worried she might not want to make the foods he likes, or angry she wants to make foods he likes in particular? Does he think she has some kind of hidden agenda, or does he just really not want her to make him food? "If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I just thought it would be nice to eat things we like."

"Why _me_?" he stresses.

"Because you're my friend…?" now she's worried. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"But I'm leaving," he practically spits the last word.

"So?" He stills at her question. "We can still be friends even if you're another _world_ away. I mean, you're just going to a different city, right? We can talk on the phone, or send letters or something if you want to talk. You do have my phone number, and I can write it down again if you lose it. Why would you leaving mean we wouldn't be friends?"

His mouth barely moves to shape his reply. "You'll forget about me."

Yume can feel her heart break. That's one of her biggest fears, one of the reasons she talks to so many people so often. She doesn't want to be forgotten again. Being forgotten… left behind…

"I would _never_ forget you," Yume says vehemently, leaning into his space. Akira jerks back, bangs falling away and allowing her to look into the expressive, deep grey that begs her to be telling the truth. "You are Akira Kurusu, my friend. That means I won't ever let you slip my mind. So don't you go forgetting me, you hear?"

He moves slowly. She doesn't twitch until his hands are around her neck and his face is buried in her hair. She returns the hug with one hand, using the other to keep from falling over.

"You are Yume Ishii," he whispers the words. "My first friend."

Wow kid, just break her heart more. "That won't change, even if you decide to never call again."

He makes noise, protesting that the thought didn't cross his mind and he's disgusted she'd even bring it up. It lifts her spirits enough that she lightly pushes him back, but keeps a hold of his shoulders. "I've got a deal for you."

He makes an interested noise.

"As your first friend," she nods resolutely at him, "I'm going to be your _bestest_ friend. That means that I'll always be there for you, even if we're far apart. I'll be there for every phone call, and call you back immediately if I can't." She leans back, hands coming off his shoulders to stick one out at him. "Anything you need, you let me know. _Bestest_ friends, deal?"

He stares at the hand with such hope it physically hurts her to not tackle the adorable kid and hug him until he knows everything will be alright. He takes her hand in a firm grip and shakes. " _Bestest friends_."

She never accounted for the warmth. It starts at her hand and spreads up her arm. Her heart beats a little too fast, and she can feel a faint flush spread. If she were an adult, maybe she would have attributed the feeling to the start of a crush. But her child body – and mind, though it's hard to accept that – doesn't ever feel that way towards people. If she had to put a name to the feeling, it would be _water on fire_.

Yume takes the moment when their hands separate, and the warmth dies down to a calming hum, to give in and hug Akira. He gasps as he falls on the ground, and then chuckles because Yume whines about his head being heavy on her hands as she protects his great hair from the dirt. She won't take her promise back to this kid. Ever. She'll get over her fear – _why does she feel a bit more confident with every glance at Akira_ – of the fact that she may have just social linked with the kid. She has to.

When they're saying goodbye and she makes him swear to call that night, Yume adds a silent promise to her growing list. To be there when Akira calls, to be the support he needs against controlling parents, and to force the world to change if the first two can't happen.

;;;

(Yume will now always answer your **Call for Help** )

;;;

Akira isn't sure why calling the smaller girl makes him feel better, but it does. It makes the dark feel a little less oppressing and the air a little less lonely. He only phoned in the hotel to make things a little less scary when he was alone. He didn't expect to sneak the wireless phone into his room after his parents told him goodnight, but they hadn't exactly been thrilled at the thought of him using their phone.

He reads The Great Thief until he is sure they are asleep, and then sets it beside him on the bed to phone his friend.

 _His friend_.

He didn't expect that either.

The get-togethers were always boring and slightly hurtful events his parents forced him into going. The other girls either ignored him or asked questions which required more than a five word sentence reply. He likes it better when they ignore him, even though his feelings hurt more than his throat after those visits.

Yume didn't care - _doesn't_ care – that he can't string a complete sentence together most times. Her friend didn't care he barely said anything. The man who came in with the orange haired girl didn't expect more than a goodbye from him. These people just got it.

Not like the other girls. Not like their parents. Even Akira's parents try to get more out of him then he's comfortable with.

Maybe that's why he likes talking with Yume over the phone. He can speak as quietly as he wants, as much or as little as he can, and it's okay. She can still hear him.

He laughs quietly at the girl's over exaggeration of one of the books she chose. She liked reading his book, she said. He still doesn't quite understand what he chose, but it looked shiny, new, and had girls in those magical dresses he sees on television sometimes.

He looks down at the book she got him. He likes it. It's different from what he normally reads. A hero, but not a conventional one. It's a lot different from what The Fallen Heist is supposed to be. That one is about heroes who have never broken the law, and try to find the real villains of the crime they are framed for. That one his tutors all recommended.

He thinks he likes The Great Thief better.

* * *

 **A/N: (Confident Rank: 1) any guesses which arcana? Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, RinaDragonfly, for your review! Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! It won't be easy for her; Akira's got heartbreaker written all over him. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! I have the most fun writing between them, so I'm glad to hear it's liked! As for the living situation, well… just have to wait and see. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing!**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Monday morning.

She's going to do it.

Just…

No, definitely going to do it.

Yume glances around the parking lot of the cabaret.

She is… absolutely going to do it.

One hundred percent.

…

"Stop being a baby," Yume mutters to herself, bolting behind another car as she searches for a way into the building. "The window is wide open."

She was hoping for some secret pathway that would lead her to the boss of the dungeon. Privately, Yume's happy there doesn't seem to be one. Not even a large arrow pointing on her map. It makes everything feel more real. This is real life, not a game.

Which also means the only unguarded, open window is too high for a short four years old to climb.

Yume waits for the crowd of high-society dressed people to pass before she darts towards the window. From what she can see, it leads to a private room under maintenance. Still, this is better than the front door. Yume psyches herself up, and then takes a running jump.

She flops backwards on the ground.

"You are better than this," Yume grumbles, rubbing her sore arms. The cabaret wall is concrete and _hurts_ , no matter how brightly coloured and pretty it is. "No wall is impassible." She doesn't want a cliché _push-object-under-opening-to-climb_ , though. Yume gets back to her feet and tests how far she can go. She grunts at the strain on her toes, but she can reach about two feet below the window. Good enough.

This time, her face hurts when it meets concrete but she holds on to the windowsill by her fingertips. When the stinging fades, she tries her hardest to twist and pull and _grapple_ herself up. It takes longer than it should, and she collapses on the other side, face smashed into plush carpet.

 _That_ was _so_ uncool.

She's in, and that's what matters. Now, to find a safe room so she doesn't have to do _that_ all over again. Yume quietly walks around what is a powdering-room in the making. She's lucky the half of the room she flopped on it the carpeted half. Yume frowns at the concrete, and then at her running shoes. She'll bring her ballet shoes next time. They'll be easier to sneak around in.

The door is locked, no surprises. There is an air ventilation shaft next to the table mirror. After much humming and hawing, the girl resigns herself to the fact that it's secret-agenting through the vents or going back outside to look for another entrance. What's worse is, after a few attempts at being quiet before giving up altogether and just starting her army crawl, that there isn't any of the dust or grime she expected.

It's almost like this vent is a thoroughfare. And, as a trespasser, that is a _terrifying_ thought.

The vent spits out into a hallway. Yume waits until the sound of footsteps is gone and slowly works her way out. Next time, she'll wear long sleeves. Who knows how many more cold vents she'll need to crawl through?

Yume gasps and ducks behind an abandoned serving cart. She hears the footsteps pause as they round the corner, and then continue down the other end of the hall. Carefully, she edges out and moves to peek. In the darkness of the hallway corner the girl leans around, Yume bites down another gasp because _holy serving staff batman that is not a waiter_!

The tall, lumbering man looks both ways before turning the next corner of the desolate hallway. Yume catches sight of an upside-down crown mask over the void-black face of the waiter. She almost starts freaking out because _that is not normal._ Like many times, the reincarnated girl is screaming her disbelief in her head. This… _craziness_ is suddenly much more real. Again.

She's not a hero.

"Find a safe room," Yume barely breathes the words. She swiftly, silently, makes her way down the opposite hall, ducking behind chairs and couches and staying to the shadows. She passes a few more of those masked waiters, none of them noticing her wide eyes watching their every move. Finally, a set of large, double doors with a sign 'Main Hall' come into view. With nowhere else to go, and every previous door locked, Yume waits until waiter comes through before slipping into the next area.

The small girl keeps to the dark areas, and there are many of them here. All the lights are on the ballerinas on stage; the women twisting and twirling and leaping gracefully through the air. The people seated in round tables clap politely at the end of the dance. Yume dives behind the wall and nearest empty table when the lights of the room flicker on. Her eyes keep moving, but even the not-people waiters and waitresses have stopped to look at the stage.

Madam Himura's shoes click her whole way on stage. She looks like a hawk, feathered crown attached to stern-librarian reading glasses. Her red stained lips are pulled to an amused smile as she looks to the attentive audience. Feathered coat drapes around her shoulders, hiding the fact her sleeveless cocktail dress isn't held up by straps.

Then she speaks, voice loud and assuring… and distorted. "It's so wonderful to see everyone today! My ballerinas are joyous that you've come to see them once again. They are here for your pleasure, so please remember to show your appreciation after every dance. My name is Madam Himura, for those who don't know. Enjoy yourselves with wine and dining, and let these beautiful ladies tell you a story of love and heartbreak through dance. Thanks you for-"

Yume's attention draws to one of the masked waiters coming up and whispering to a man. "Sir. It is your time for the special event."

The human nods and gets to his feet. Yume debates following, but a couple masked waitresses fall in behind the man. She watches the man go through a guarded door in the far corner of the room, and wonders how she'll ever get to this 'special event' because _if that's not a plot clue what is_?

The lights fade back to dark as Madam Himura leaves the stage. The ballerinas behind her start their routine, one of the ladies a tremble in her steps. Yume uses the darkness to go around and check the unguarded doors for a way out. One gives, leading to a bare storage room. With the amazing idea to poke around and freak out here, she shuts the door-

\- _the world changes to the changing room_ -

-and freezes at the sight of the bare storage room. She could have sworn it was the changing room off the side of the main dance hall. It even had the ballet shoes no one claims hanging in the first cupboard. She can feel her phone vibrate with an alert, now that she's still. Yume checks the room before sitting at the table in the center. She digs through her backpack, unwraps her phone, and goes through the multiple updates. Apparently, the Metaverse Navigator does have a map per dungeon. It updates automatically as she moves through the halls, with an option to take a photo of a map.

And this room is a safe room. No more window climbing. _Yay_.

Very interesting is how little time has passed since she's been here. It's felt like an hour at least, but her phone says it's barely been a few minutes. That's going to get confusing fast.

And… she doesn't know what to do. Risk her luck today, or try again tomorrow? A map should be first priority, but she can't think of where one would be. She doesn't really want to go any further. No map, no guide, no help, she's _alone_ here with no one and no _team_ and _this isn't how games are supposed to go_.

But she spent a lot of time doing things herself last life. Now that she has an idea of what this is like – _a way in and seen what's inside_ – she can look through the app's code for a map. There may be one, there may not. What she does need is another phone, so she can keep track of where she is without risk of her current phone being broken or stolen. And maybe start password protecting; get a phone with a keyboard and not one that flips. Not like she hasn't saved enough spare credit for a 'high tech' device.

With that decided, Yume takes a relieved breath and fast-travels to her living room. She quits out of the app, and then pauses; phone still on. She is psychically itchy for some reason. It's fading, but it felt the same this morning when she first started the app, and when she fast-traveled to the palace. Switching the app back on, she gazes around her living room.

It's almost like she's missing some… thing? Someone? It's nothing horrible. It's not a feeling she'd give a second thought. It's just that it feels like she should be… supporting? Covering? These aren't the right words. It fades as fast as it comes. It's just… weird. Yah, a weird feeling. She can ignore it. If she can't place it, it's likely not important.

Still, Yume doesn't turn off the app. If she focuses, it's almost like she can feel something pulling. Again, it's completely ignorable. But… she has time… and maybe it will explain how to find a map? She's doesn't actually want to crawl through a dungeon again, especially not blind. So, Yume readjusts her things and quietly leaves her apartment.

Caught up in staying hidden and trying to focus on the feeling-that-isn't, she barely stops turning the corner in time to not hit the snowman.

 _No_ , her mind whispers as she looks up in horror. _Not a snowman. Jack Frost. The mascot._

"Ho?" He is clearly as startled as her. "Who are you, hee ho?"

 _What's truly unfair_ , Yume thinks as she backpedals, _is that I'm shorter than him_.

And then she's running, ignoring his calls for her to wait. What she can't ignore is the ice appearing in front of her. Yume lets out an undignified shriek as she stumbles. Her foot twists as she tries to dodge, and she goes sprawling across the empty street.

"I told you to wait, hee ho!" the demon says crossly. Yume's sucking in greedy breaths, on her back, and staring with wide eyes as he stops moving towards her and puts his hands on his hips. "What do you think you were doing, running towards a Sin Palace?"

Yume subtlety moves her arm back, sitting up slowly. Not a word comes from her. _What can she say?_

Jack Frost falters, a frown starting on his face. "Er… you do spea-hee-k English, right, ho?"

Still nothing to say.

He looks abashed. "Well, gee-hees. My Japanese is a bit rusty-hee ho. Ugh… You. Talk. English?"

Shock fades and turns incredulous. Yume almost wants to reply in Italian, just to see if she can get away it. But, ugh… is this a demon negotiation? Isn't she supposed to appeal to the demon so it doesn't try and kill her? And aren't negotiations supposed to be hard and only done by special people who persona properly?

 _Someone explain to this guy that she's not a protagonist!_

"Frost, ho!" an almost familiar voice says, startling Yume from her thoughts and Jack Frost from attempting anymore broken Japanese. The floating pumpkin head demon blinks at the sight of the girl on the ground before he's a flurry of action. "You're alive, hee ho! That's who I was talking about, Frost!"

"Wait," Jack Frost sends repeated looks between Yume and the other demon. "You went into a Sin Palace and came out alive, hee ho?! Er, you. Palace. In. Out-"

"Ee," Yume nods and then switches to English. "It is low threat level, so I go in while I can."

"You can spea-hee-k English, ho!" Jack Frost exclaims, posing with a shocked expression and a finger pointing at her.

Yume blinks. Looks between the two awed demons. Leaps to her feet and sprints away.

"No!" the pumpkin guy calls. "Not again!"

Yume dodges the ice appearing from the ground and takes a corner. She can hear the clank of a lantern and the patter of feet following her. A few more turns, and she ducks into and alley. Behind a trashcan, Yume holds a few holes in her mouth scarf up to try and better catch her breath.

"Where'd they go, hee ho?" comes from further up the street.

Yume slumps against the wall and closes her eyes for a split second. She opens them to a grinning white face.

"Found 'em!" Jack Frost shouts, grabbing her arm. Then he recoils, letting her go.

Yume doesn't question, just jumps up and runs out of the alley. The pumpkin demon exclaims something about _Frost_ as it sees her, but doesn't chase when Jack Frost stumbles out of the alley, looking at her with wide eyes. Yume's gone from sight within seconds, racing for the cabaret.

A reflection she doesn't want to believe makes her twist around in horror. But no one's there. Yume slows, keeps looking around, but there's _nothing_. No one is in the red and black street but her. Slowly, ever so slowly, she steps in front of a whole window to see her reflection.

Jack Frost stares back at her.

Yume looks down at her _very human_ hands. The reflection-Frost copies the movement, a bit awkward as their heights don't match up. Yume can feel her breathing pick up a notch at the reflection that's not hers follows her movements. At the moment she's sure her body is hyperventilating, she follows the last action her friend did when she had a panic attack after her older sister's death last life.

Yume slaps herself.

"Ow," the girl whines, clutching her cheek. Through watering eyes and evening breathes, she sees her reflection is back to the normal four year old it's supposed to be.

"There she is, hee ho!"

 _Not again_.

Yume dodges ice and some fire balls – who is the pumpkin demon that he can throw _fire_ – as she finishes running to the cabaret. She ignores their calls for her to stop and dives through the border.

The feeling-that-isn't barely flares up, but she still notices it in between every desperate breath she wheezes on the ground. The demons don't follow her through, which… _yay_. Plan succeeded.

It's almost an hour away from her nap when she finally gets home. A nap sounds good right about now, what with all the running and possible breakdowns.

When she wakes up, it's raining. After a long moment of consideration, Yume goes to beg Ms. Eguchi for an umbrella instead of testing to see if anyone would notice her appearing from thin air if she took the Metaverse.

Ms. Eguchi isn't home. Yume's walking in the rain.

It's been _such_ a _great_ day so far…

;;;

"Why are you doing that?" asks the girl, Jenny.

Yume looks up, not pausing in pressing her hand's heel into her leg. "Massaging my leg?"

"Yah. That. Why?"

Yume's impressed the girl her age is brave enough to come over and chat, especially since the others in the background are whispering furiously. Marks off for taking about a month to ask. So, her answer is true, in a sense. "It's to keep my muscles loose after a workout."

That's true, but it's really about old habits and dying hard. She used to – in her last life – have to massage her legs to keep the unused muscles from atrophying. Once a day at the least. It's made her rather good at leg and foot massages. Now, she does it after every work out.

With the answer satisfying enough, Jenny returns to her friends and Yume goes back to quietly taking up a bench to stretch.

Haru finds her once Yume's just finished packing everything away. They chat about their weekends and Haru's upcoming activities. Tennis and cooking, as it turns out. Haru gets a professional, teaching chef to give her lessons once a week starting in June. Yume asks if she can try some food, or get some recipes, sometime. Haru is more than excited to share.

When the limousine pulls up, Haru hesitates to pull her umbrella away and leave Yume alone in the rain. "Where do you live?"

"You don't have to drive me," Yume says easily, a little surprised. But Haru keeps her eyes on the girl's still-wet hair and insists. Yume gives her the street easiest to drop her at; the one near Sojiro's house.

Yume gives Haru a large hug and thanks her profusely before they go separate ways. If Haru wrinkles her shirt, making fists as she hugs back hard, then Yume just makes sure to squeeze back just as tightly and reassuringly.

Sojiro comes out of his house as she passes, urging her to come in out of the rain. Futaba scrunches her nose up at Yume's wet clothes, and throws a towel at her. Then she's coerced – but is it really forced if she wants it so bad – into a family dinner with the two curtesy of Sojiro.

"This is really good," Yume says, blinking at the curry that's almost better than Mr. Enomoto's.

"I've been experimenting with recipes," Sojiro says with a shrug.

For some reason, Yume doesn't believe he's been doing it for kicks and giggles. At the rate Futaba inhales the food, it's probably to try and get the non-vegetables on her plate eaten. The older girl makes a note to try Sojiro's sneaky ways of curry if she ever wants to treat Futaba to food.

"Can't Yume stay tonight?" Futaba whines, holding onto the older girl with all her strength. Yume's glad she doesn't have to worry about the flip phone breaking when it's surrounded by bubble wrap; Futaba is _strong_.

"I have to get back tonight," Yume answers Sojiro's questioning gaze. She doesn't exactly want to, but she needs to do some research. "Maybe next time…?"

"How about this Saturday," Sojiro says with a watching look in his eyes. His smile if welcoming, though, and Yume _wants_ to be accepted here. "Wakaba and Futaba will be here for a sleepover."

"I would really like that," Yume says, smiling hesitantly at him.

"Then I'll pick you up after your dance class," he says curtly. "Do you need me to talk to your sitter?"

Yume shakes her head. "Iie. She'll understand. Do you want me to write the name of the dance studio?"

He says a name, it she agrees it's the correct one. "It's on the ticket." He explains.

And little Yume glows with happiness.

The night takes a dip when her search for information doesn't reveal anything. She can't find a map. She doesn't know who the pumpkin demon was. There is nothing to help her in the Metaverse. She's on her own unless she wants to throw herself at a main character. Which she doesn't want. At all.

But she may need help. She'll give it a few more days of this recurring panic of _what-am-I-doing_ before she really gives thought to Tetsuya and his group.

The phone rings.

"Ishii residence. Ishii Yume speaking."

" _Yume_ ," is the relieved reply.

"Hey Akira," she replies, biting her lip at the frown forming. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replies too fast. "How was your Monday?"

Yume bites her lip a moment longer before realizing she'll need to wait to get the real answer out of him. "It was alright. I saw Futaba again today. She wants to know you saw today's episode."

"Er, no," he replies quieter.

"Well, maybe you could watch one episode sometime this week?" Yume wonders out loud. "I'm meeting her again this Saturday and I have _no clue_ about what happens with the show. Maybe you could keep me updated?"

"I can try," he responds seriously.

"Thank you," Yume says when it seems like a silence is beginning. She scrambles to think of something to say next. The silence feels relaxing, but she doesn't want to drop there yet. "Akira?"

He hums back.

"If you don't want to talk about your day, that's alright, but you need to tell me straight. Do you want to talk about today?"

"…No," he admits. "I…"

She waits, humming to let him know she listens.

"Can you talk. To me. Can you talk to me… please?"

"I don't have any stories…" Yume hums, eyes travelling to the books on her table. "But maybe I could read one? My sitter never reads to me, but I can read them."

"…please," he whispers.

Yume agrees and goes to her parents' bedroom. She finds a familiar story in Japanese, has to drag a stool over to get it, but can understand it and knows the English version well enough that she settles on the couch and starts to read without pause. Akira never interrupts, and somehow she knows he doesn't fall asleep even when it nears midnight. A kind of peace – _confidence_ – falls over the girl as she reads the familiar story to a friend over the phone. It's nothing she's ever done before, past life or not, but it makes her feel… better. Whole. Even just for the first few chapters.

She'll have to get the English version, now that she knows it's in this world too. For nostalgia if nothing else. Yume's glad she won't have to give up J. K. Rowling's boy-who-lived just because she's in another universe. She just wishes her parents could have read it to her this life, like her mother did last life.

…but she would never change this phone call for that.

* * *

 **A/N: That chapter gave me a lot of trouble, but here it is. Thanks for reading! I'm interested on thoughts on her arcana. And any thoughts on the chapter?**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! I'm glad you liked it! As for timeloop!Akira, definitely more on him later. Just have to see if the two ever meet… Thank you again for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, CureCaligraphy, for your reviews! It really was about time for Yusuke. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story! Thank you so much for your reviews, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! Great choices and reasoning's! It won't be revealed quite yet, but it's coming. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, InnocentSerenade, for your review! "Ee" is a more formal way to say 'yes' then "un", but less formal than "hai". It started out she didn't know which version of 'yes' to use, and turned into a sort-of tick from there. Thank you for asking! Great reasonings and choice! Her arcana reveal won't happen quite yet, but it's getting there. Again, thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Yume sniffs. Blankly stares at the television from under her nest of blankets. Sniffs again.

"Stupid child body," Yume gripes as another commercial break comes on. "Stupid immunity system, stupid _feelings_ , stupid body."

The last time she was sick, she remembers this life's parents being there to hold her and help her get better. Now they aren't here, Ms. Eguchi is taking care of her granddaughter for the week, Sojiro has work, and Yume can't pay a long distance call to Akira. She debates phoning the Isshiki family, but she's not in the best frame to make up a story on why she's on her own. And that's if someone really is there to pick up the phone.

So she suffers a head cold all alone.

"Stupid Tuesday," Yume grumbles once again, turning to face the back of the couch. Maybe sleeping will get rid of her illness in time for dance. No time like the present to try.

;;;

Tetsuya sighs, leaning back in his chair to stare at the roof as he processes the information.

Sadayo growls and gets to her feet to pace. "We can't let that go on."

"Emotionally abusing her students," Tae mumbles, glancing at her medical textbook in thought. "It makes sense on how she's gotten away with it. Power harassment isn't uncommon. I am curious as to why she has a palace, and not a spot in Mementos."

"Don't say it so logically," Sadayo snaps, throwing her empty chair away in order to safely release her anger. "She implied that learning a style of dance for fun somehow makes barely-school-age children whores. How many of her previous students do you think grew up hearing that from her day after day? How _dare_ she?"

"None of it would hold up in court," Daichi says, exasperated. He glares overtop of his law textbook, just as pissed off. "Word of mouth from a couple girls? Maybe if all of them stood up to defend against the woman, but right now there is nothing to stand on. And if anyone went in there, the woman would probably be on her best behaviour, just like the rest of the palace rulers."

"So we're stuck," Hiroki sighs. "This is going to be like with the café, isn't it?"

"This doesn't sound like a lust situation," says a man wearing lots and lots of colours. He sets a large medical book on the table beside Tae, and then tips his white top hat at the group. "She doesn't seem to want the power from her students becoming well known. And is there anything about 'private' lessons?"

"Not that I know of," Hitoshi replies, getting angry at the thought. "I'll talk with Yume some more, but she hasn't had the woman as an instructor yet."

"Kayo?" Tetsuya asks, making the budding reporter glance up. "Have you found anything?"

"I'm still trying to follow a theory," the woman sighs and sets her papers down. "A couple of the girls who went to the academy when Hiruma taught are now very well known in the play-acting community. Problem is, no one wants to talk about their time under her _guidance_."

"So we need more recon," Tetsuya decides with a nod. "While we finish preparing for the marine center, Hitoshi and Kayo will get whatever information they can. And Mary? If you see what the technology is like for the building, I'd appreciate a layout."

"You got it!" chirps Mary.

"Let's head to the Mementos," Sadayo growls, stalking lines across the floor. "I need to beat something up."

"Before you go, Ace," the man dressed in too many colours says. "Sofia found an answer to your question. She can explain it better, if you want to see her before you go."

"Thank you, Tristan," Tetsuya nods and shows his relief. He has no prior memory of a random girl on the street being important, but he also doesn't know what to expect in the ballet palace. It's definitely a shift from what he's used to – it's not a feeling of déjà vu or knowing when something is coming – but, since Tristan seems more excited than worried, Tetsuya isn't as concerned as he was before.

He still rushes over to the Librarian's desk as soon as he can.

;;;

Haru – _sweet, beautiful, amazing, Haru_ – ducks out of her class and joins Yume's for the day.

"They won't come after me anyway," Haru shrugs. "No one wants to speak with father. They're too scared of him."

"I would hug you," Yume says thickly, nose still stuffed and throat a bit sore, "but I don't want you to get sick."

Haru gets up on her tiptoes and pats the girl's head. "There, there. Next time remember an umbrella."

"I will," Yume says sourly, shaking as she struggles to hold the required position. And _oh boy_ will she ever remember an umbrella next time. Turns out there is something in the rain that increases chances for illness. A bacteria she can't remember the name of that, when a person is soaked in it, lowers their immunity to allergies, common colds and the flu. That's why almost everyone in this-world Tokyo uses umbrellas like they're going out of style. And her parents couldn't even be bothered to leave her one.

"You're going to start with Madam Himura tomorrow," Haru says nervously as they pack their bags. Yume thanks the world for small miracles, because she wouldn't have been able to handle a first meeting with the woman today. "I-if you stay out of her way, she shouldn't bother you. And practice! Don't give her reasons to critique you!"

"I will," Yume sniffs, smiling at the older girl. "Thank you."

Haru breathes out a relieved sigh. "Just be careful? I don't want to prank a teacher for making you cry."

Hearing that makes the sick girl's day. Yume's smile is blinding, and she can't stop the tears at the sudden mood shift. "Thank you, Haru."

Haru seems to make up her mind about something. "You're my best friend, you know? I'm not going to put up with people hurting you."

Yume's cheeks hurt at the smile. "Aw, I knew you cared!"

"Of course," Haru looks with wide eyes and smile.

"You're one of my best friends too," Yume says, heart panging at the thought that she doesn't know how to fix the problem of Mr. Okumura's dungeon. "So if anyone hurts you, you point me at them, alright?"

"Of course," Haru repeats. Her eyes sparkle as she takes Yume's hand and swinging their arms. "Have I told you about Ms. Hananoka's embarrassment in class yesterday?"

"No," Yume smiles cutely. "Do tell."

Yume's feeling slightly better – _much less alone_ – when she finally makes her way home. She buys lozenges and an umbrella, the cashier smiling sympathetically at her. Her head is fuzzy and she's determined to sleep all night if she can. Hands shake trying to unwrap the lozenge, and just when she gets it, it slips from her fingers.

"Come on," Yume whines, picking it up and throwing it and the wrapper away. She pulls out another one, but her hands shake too bad to even risk it. She bows her head and slogs along. A sore cough echoes when she tries to clear the itch. If it is this bad tomorrow, she's sitting out.

 _Walking to the park. Can't let Ryuji down._

"Kid?" Yume stops at the familiar voice, blinking and forcing her eyes to focus on Sojiro. "Gees, Yume, you look terrible."

Yume tries for a mock pout but she has to cough and ruin everything. "That's – _uck_ – not nice to say to a lady."

"At least you still have your sense of humor," Sojiro says, putting a hand on her back and guiding her. Yume sighs and leans into his warm palm. _Since when was she cold?_ "You didn't go your class today, did you?"

She hums positive.

He lets out a loud groan, and she doesn't recognize the sound of the bell. Where are they? "Hey, doc, you've got something to help a cold?"

"Hmm?" Yume blinks blearily at the bespectacled man blinking at her from over the counter. "Ah, yes; is it a cold or flu?"

"Head cold," Yume mutters, trying to push off Sojiro as she realizes just what's going on. She doesn't need this. Sleep is less threatening to lifestyle than a doctor seeing her. "I'll be fine without medicine."

"No you won't," the doctor says simply. "This looks like a case of rain fever, and that takes a week of constant rest to get through without antibiotics."

"'M fine."

"How much?" Sojiro says sternly.

"No," Yume protests quietly under their exchange. She doesn't say anything else, barely able to stay awake and standing. Sojiro picks her up just as she's about to fall. "Sorry."

"Just don't get sick on me again, okay kiddo?" he grunts out, carrying her out of the clinic. "Where's your babysitter?"

"Not today," Yume says. She really didn't want to deal with this make-believe today.

"Then I'm calling your parents."

"Long distance charges," Yume mutters.

Sojiro swearing jolts her back to awareness. She blinks owlishly, not sure he's ever sworn around her before. Then it takes a moment to realize the swear was in English and that's why she even recognized it. "Kid, why is no one looking after you?"

"Tell you later," Yume sighs. "Put me down and I'll go home."

"Not a chance," he growls lowly, turning and marching to his house. She frowns. "Yume, you do realize you shouldn't be by yourself when you're sick, right?"

"I'll be fine," she tries to assure him.

"I know the mortality rate of rain fever for kids under five," he grunts out. "You won't be fine."

She leans back to give him a tired, curious look. "Why do you know that?"

"So Wakaba doesn't have to," he says quietly. "Futaba had rain fever for a few hours, once. She was able to sleep it off. You've exercised too much, and need to take the nasty medicine and sleep until you're back to normal."

"Alright," Yume nods. "You don't need to worry. I can go back to my ho-"

"I'm not letting you be by yourself," he snaps lowly. She quiets and he sighs, frustrated. "Just- just sleep in my spare room tonight. If you feel better tomorrow, you can go, but _no dancing_. Don't fight me on this, Yume."

"…Alright," Yume nods slowly. She really hopes Akira doesn't try to phone tonight, but she can't see a way out of here. She's scared, but isn't this what she wanted? It's too hard to think, she just wants to sleep. "Thank you, Sojiro. Can I sleep now?"

"Yes," he grunts, opening the door to his house easily.

"You won't tell anyone about this, right?" Yume begs, forcing her eyes open.

"I can't," he grunts, angry for a reason she can't pick up on. She almost doesn't hear his, "or I would have done it ages ago."

That's not as comforting as it should be. Still, she falls into a sleep filled with flashes of people she misses, and of the few people she can learn to lean on this lifetime.

The incoming morning is far away, yet always forefront as she dreams.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Any thoughts? (Sorry it was rather short)**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Tiny Akira really needs a friend there with him; I honestly can't wait until they all start texting. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Harukawa Ayame, for your review! Yah, she doesn't really have the drive to face demons and be like 'yes, I will defeat you'; maybe one day... Hope the bits of angst in this chapter didn't hurt too much. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! A lot of Yume's information about the Persona world is second-hand. Pyro Jack/Jack O'Lantern wasn't one of the things her friends would rant about, and she's only seen some merchandise or fan items about him so his name didn't stick. Thank you for asking, and I hope that helped! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing!**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

After an early morning and laying about for some while, thinking her situation through with a mostly clear head, Yume comes to the decision that she has… _mostly_ screwed herself over.

"I'm not doing this right," the little girl gripes, slipping out of the large bed. "Only killable characters get sick, and I'm not going down that route, no siree. Not a tragic backstory either."

She almost slips, and decides that _no dancing_ today is probably a great idea. Sojiro was right about that. And she'll need to somehow convince the man to let her go to the park today to see Ryuji. _And_ have a conversation she never wanted to have about her home life. It's not looking like a good day.

Well, she might as well finish screwing what shreds of keeping her independence a secret are left and make them a healthy, warm breakfast.

Now, where are the things for pancakes?

;;;

The blonde girl huffs indigently as she steps out of the doorway. She pouts as the door slams closed, effectively keeping her here until she can find an exit out of Earth's unconsciousness. "Aw, I was hoping for Europe."

"Alice, hee ho!"

The blue skinned demon smiles and waves. "Jacks! It's lovely to see you both!"

"We-hee need your help, ho," Jack Frost says, right to the point. "There's be-hee-en a new demon-ho that's running around and we-hee haven't been able to stop it, ho."

"Oh," Alice tilts her head, rocking her teddy bear roughly. "Is that why you two are here and not back home?"

Pyro Jack, also known as Jack-o'-Lantern, rubs a hand over his pumpkin head to hide a sweat-drop. "Well-ho… we haven't made it through a sin dungeon."

Alice pouts and stomps her foot, hands fisting and going to her hips. "Jacks! You're both better than this!"

"We know," Pyro Jack waves furiously, trying to assure her. "It's just, Japan! It's always Japan!"

Alice sniffs snootily and crosses her arms, fist white around her bear's arm. "It wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't Japan! Do you two need little ol' me to get you out of this mess, _again_?"

"Thank you, Alice, hee ho," Jack Frost says with a cheeky smile. "We appreciate the-hee help."

The blonde nods sharply. "Then we can send the others after the new demon!"

"Um, Alice-"

"Lily and Lucy were just saying they were getting bored!" Alice smiles, pleased with her plan. "And they always like to meet new demons! They'll be able to hunt down your problem!"

"Um," the Jacks share a look, unsure how to stop the gathering problem.

"I'm sure Lucifer has better things to do, hee ho," Pyro Jack laughs shakily.

"Nope!" Alice smiles broadly, skipping towards the nearest, cartoonish, red-bordered area to find a sin dungeon. "In fact, maybe I can convince the others to come too! It's been awhile since a group has cleared out Japan, has it not?"

"For good reason," Pyro Jack grumbles.

"Hee ho, sounds like fun!" Jack Frost replies, skipping after her. Pyro Jack rolls his eyes and follows reluctantly. "Maybe we can find out where pesky Nyx has gone off to!"

"Yes!" Alice nods, humming as she cuddles her stuffed animal. "It will be fun! Just like old times!" Her shoulders fall as a thought passes. "Oh, I guess Mr. Butterfly won't join in…"

"He'll get out of his funk eventually, hee ho," Jack Frost pats her shoulder comfortingly.

Pyro Jack sighs as they come up to the red, shimmering border. He just wants to leave this place already. A week and a half in the unconsciousness of Earth feels like way too long. He does pause before following the other two into the sin dungeon. "Well, good luck new demon."

They're going to need it.

;;;

Yume feels… _scolded_.

She honestly didn't think that could happen. It hasn't happened since years – a lifetime – ago when she was told to make her more _illegal_ practices legal in the workplace. She never would have considered that making breakfast – using a whisk, a stool… a stove… - would be worthy of being scolded. Nonetheless, the first thing Sojiro does – after freezing in horror at the sight of a four year old pouring pancake mix into a hot frying pan from atop a stool twice her size – is get her off the stool and far away from the element before he demands to know what she's doing.

There's a hint of confusion in her tone when she explains she's making breakfast for them.

The quick look of rage takes her aback, but then she's more worried about his soft, strained tone when he explains that a stove isn't anywhere she should be near right now and shouldn't she be resting and _why is she making breakfast?_ 'When she's his guest' get tacked on to the question when it becomes obvious the answer 'for food' isn't what he's looking for.

So, she feels scolded.

Sojiro is disappointed in her.

…It hurts a lot more than she would ever admit to.

"Kid," he grits out with a sigh. "You shouldn't be making food by yourself. Just, how often does this happen?"

"…a lot," Yume mumbles, turning to brood at the tabletop. Is this what it feels like to disappoint a father fig- Correction: is this what it feels like to disappoint a friend that cares for your well-being? Yah, that's probably what this is. "Mr. Sakura, the pancakes are burning."

The man catches the curse and runs for the pan. Yume sits sullenly, watching the scene with morbid fascination. He doesn't say anything, just fitfully flips the batter and makes strangling motions at the syrup bottle when he digs through the fridge. Slowly, Yume relaxes as he moves about, not making another comment about her obvious show casing of independence. She's not normally a curious person – fear is a limiter and smiles are a mask – but when he places the slightly burnt pancake down in front of her and lays out the toppings, Yume has to ask. "Sojiro, if it upsets you this much, why haven't you said anything?"

He jolts, not expecting her to actually ask. Sojiro pours some batter in the pan, stalling for time. "The simple answer is: I can't. Your parents obviously pay someone to take care of you, even though their doing a pi- an awful job of it. Unless you were to end up dead, neither your parents nor your sitter will be brought to justice for this. It's considered an 'in the family' matter and if I bring it to the cops I'll be charged or fined for interfering."

Yume frowns. That… actually makes a lot of sense. Especially since, now that she thinks about it, no one actually asked or pressed the issue of her home life; just a lot of unhappy looks thrown about. She really needs to read up on family laws in this-world Japan if that's what it falls under. She only looked at the overall underage abuse and neglect charges, but if the family laws have their own subsections then it needs further exploring.

"I'm named Futaba's godfather," Sojiro says, sitting down with his own meal. "So I don't have as much leverage as family, but I can still look after her without question. I've looked into your situation. Your sitter has a signed contract with your parents, stating that as long as they get paid they act as your head-of-household. It's pretty standard, and no court would ever take and outsider – stranger or neighbor's – word above the sitter." He gives her an unimpressed look. "Only your parents can terminate the contract, and by now I would have hoped you'd told them about what goes on." Yume's wide-eyed, innocent look irritates his further. "You do know what neglect is, right Yume?"

She lasts for a whole of two seconds before collapsing the mask under his disappointment. Her fork pushes breakfast around on the plate, food suddenly very unappetizing. "I know what it means, Mr. Sakura."

"I'm not angry at you," he says, pointing a fork dramatically at her. Yume looks up under her lashes as he explains. "So don't call me Mr. Sakura. I'm… _upset_ with the situation. There should be someone looking after you. You shouldn't have to buy your own groceries, or cook your own food, at your age. It's also dangerous for kids to be running around without some kind of supervision."

"I have a cellphone," Yume says, glancing to her dance bag in the corner before braving his patient face. "It's for emergencies. All the shop keepers or employees know me, so I know they keep lookout when I'm running. I don't mind cooking and shopping, it makes me feel like an-" she cuts off because she can't exaggerate this, not under Sojiro's tolerant stare, "I don't mind the cooking and shopping much anymore. The independence is nice, and it gives me something to do when I'm not watching T.V." _or working through internet records_.

"Is your sitter ever with you?" Sojiro asks a tinge desperately.

Yume blinks. "Do you want an answer that will comfort you?"

"You're a brat," he sighs, burying his head in his hands. "At least tell me your parents know."

"I don't like lying to you, Sojiro," Yume answers honestly.

"Yume," he pauses and drops his hands, staring hard at her. "Okay, we'll figure this out. From now on you eat and shop with either myself or Maki, do you understand? No more meals by yourself at the least."

Yume huffs and gives him as sympathetic a look she can. "Ms. Eguchi is with her grandchild all week, and you work for most of the day."

"But you're up early most days," he counters. "I'll make you breakfast through the week. Maki won't mind doing some breakfasts and dinners once I tell her the situation. Mr. Enomoto will put your lunches on our tab if you go to him. You might as well stay in the guest room here until we can get someone to look after you full-time."

 _No_ , Yume wants to shout and she knows he sees it when she stops breathing. There's panic building because all she's worked to setting up is about to crumble, and she _needs_ access to her computer. She needs to know what's going on.

"What if they come back?" Yume thinks fast. "My parents or my sitter, what if they come home and I'm not there?" He doesn't say anything for a moment. "I don't want you in trouble. And you said you would be if you interfere with the sitter."

"Kid," he grits out.

"I can come over in the morning," Yume assures him. "But I can't stay here."

He watches her for a long moment, probably knowing there's a deeper plot at foot. Still, he can't argue because there's a very real chance he might end up in jail just for trying to help. Wakaba's been warning him not to dig too deep, for situations like this.

"You check in every day," he says, writing down his home phone number. "Call in the morning, so I know if you're coming or not. If you haven't called by eight, I'm going to your apartment and you'd better be there."

"Hai," Yume nods seriously. If that's all he's asking for, she's not going to push it. "Do you want my number?"

"Sure," he says, even though he already has it from Wakaba. The relief with her trusting him enough to open up and let him know what's really going on is not going to be broken by admitting it, though. "Now, finish your breakfast and go back to bed. You're still recovering."

"Um," Yume swallows and turns the full force of her pleading expression on him. "I don't think I can go to dancing today-"

"Don't worry; I'll phone in for you."

"-but I promised I'd meet Ryuji at the park today," Yume turns up to innocence and panic levels on her face when he frowns. "It's just a quick stop at the park to say hi. He has baseball and it's one of the few times we see each other."

"Yume," the man sighs.

"Please, Sojiro," Yume begs. "I'll go right to bed after, but don't make me break my promise."

He stares a bit longer before huffing. "We take my car, and you're not out there for more than five minutes."

She breaks into a grin and has leapt up to hug him tightly without thinking. The girl doesn't notice the surprised, soft expression molding onto his face. She's too busy hearing her heart pound and denying that this is what it's like having a father who cares ( _who's alive to care_ ). "Thank you."

"Whatever," he scoffs, embarrassed. "Now, hurry it and finish eating."

"Hai!"

;;;

"Is that guy your father?" Ryuji asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the man a few dozen feet away.

Yume shakes her head, negative. "He's been looking after me, though. So, he's kind of like one."

Ryuji frowns at a stray thought, and then turns a slightly strained smile her way. "It's nice he came out here with you, then. My pops usually dumps me and runs, even when I'm sick."

Yume frowns and pats the boy, careful not to hug him at risk of passing along her cold. "Remind me to give you my phone number next time we see each other. That way, you can phone me when you're sick and I'll make sure you're okay!"

"What, like a mother?" he makes a face.

"No, like a best friend or– or an older sister!" Yume smiles winningly at his horrified face. "What do you say, lil' bro?"

"No way! I'm taller than you!"

"Doesn't matter," Yume reaches up on her toes and ruffles his hair.

Ryuji lets out a cry and tries to noogie her in return. "It does! Wait, when's your birthday?"

"December-"

"Ha! I'm older than you too!"

"But you'll always be little bro to me," Yume mock sighs, dodging his attempt.

"Yume!" Sojiro shouts from his bench, making the kids pause mid-motion. "Time's up!"

"I've got to go," Yume says hurriedly while the black haired boy takes the distraction to mess up her hair. "Ack- Ryuji!"

"I'll see you Sunday, lil' sis," Ryuji taunts as she makes faces at him. "Kick your cold's butt!"

"You got it!" Yume waves and runs over to Sojiro, who scolds her for being too active and then demands to when and how she met Ryuji. "He helped up when I fell in the park, back when I first started dancing."

"Hmm," Sojiro narrows his eyes and sends a look over his shoulder. Then he turns back and says with the utmost seriousness, "Don't lead that kid into trouble."

And Yume smiles blindingly because he knows her so well.

;;;

Haru takes a deep breath and tries not to fidget. It wouldn't do for her to show weakness now, while she waits at the corner for her driver. The silence is pressuring, though. She tries to shake off the edge creeping up on her, but it won't go. The part of her that's strongly against her getting close to anyone is smugly rearing its head. It's been two weeks, but she's so used to Yume showing up that being alone and unable to talk about her day has her stomach rolling.

And here she was worried about Yume's first day in Himura's class. Now she's tense because her friend _never showed up_.

The car ride passes in silence with nothing more than a raised eyebrow from her driver when she's by herself at pick-up. It takes everything in her not to run to a phone once inside her family's suite apartment. Her father has visitors, so she smiles and makes small talk and lets herself be shown off. Nobody notices when she pockets the phone in the room, and for one of the few times she's grateful at how unnoticeable she can be.

"Pick up," Haru mutters, crushing the scrap paper in her fists as her legs swing on her bed. "Pick up, pick up, _pick up_."

 _Click._ "Ishii family household, Ishii Yume speaking."

"Hi Yume," Haru can't stop her smile. Relief floods through her and she has to bury her head in her hands to keep steady.

"Haru!" The older girl stiffens, worried as a few coughs sound before Yume's back on the phone. "I'm so sorry! I got really sick last night. Were you alright today?"

"Yes," Haru blinks, conflicted. She wants to talk about her day, _wants to go on about everything that's happened in detail_ , but that's rude when her friend just admitted to being sick. T-talking can wait, right? Until Yume's better. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No," something thumps lightly across the line. "Sojiro wants me to be sleeping it off, but I've slept so much today I can't keep my eyes closed. Please, Haru, tell me something interesting."

"Well," she giggles a bit. "I don't know if my day counts as interesting…"

"Ooo," Yume coos, "what happened?"

So the floodgates open. It's not the same as talking in person, but this is nice. Haru relaxes and lets the words flow, and she feels wanted. Noticed.

And, after she has successfully convinced Yume to put the phone down and go have a nap, Haru feels powerful.

;;;

His hands twist the phone guiltily. Akira has the number inputted, the dial tone waiting, and all he needs to do is press send. He's nervous, though. His parents made him go to a fancy dinner and they stayed up much later than he's used to. He barely remembers getting into the car before falling asleep, and woke up in his bed regretting he wasn't able to phone his friend until late the next night. So, with heavy eyelids the boy swallows his fears – _she won't stop being his friend after one day without contact (right?)_ – and hits the button to connect him.

It doesn't cross his mind she might not answer, even during eleven at night. "Ishii fam-" there is coughing and then a sigh, "family household, Ishii Yume speaking."

"Are you alright?" Akira asks, more awake as he hugs a pillow to his chest. "Yume?"

"Akira?" He can hear the smile in her voice. "Hi! Yes, I'm just recovering from a cold. Oh, I'm so sorry if I didn't answer your call last night!"

He leans his back against the wall with a soft, relieved breath. He tells her he didn't call and explains why. Then he talks about what happened during the dinner, making sure to exaggerate every detail. Ignoring the coughs, her laughter feeds his sassy quips as he makes up quotes about members of his parents society groups.

"Go to bed," he finally commands, never once commenting on how his own eyelids droop and how he's only upright by burying himself in pillows. "You need to rest and get better."

"I will," Yume answers and he can hear the yawn turn into a few coughs. "Thanks for phoning, Akira. You really cheered me up."

He puts a warm cheek against a cool pillow. "Have a good night's sleep, Yume."

;;;

In the morning she won't question why she feels refreshed, or why it was the first sleep in a long while without a dream.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter gave me a lot more trouble than it should have (and then Ann and Haru got official birthdays and the thieves got proper years they were born, so I had to comb through and change my notes once again. Oh well, the only thing so far that needed to be changed here was one line in chapter 11.). Hope people are having a nice December!**

 **Thank you, mayurie, for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying! Now if only Yume would admit she looks up to Sojiro… It's all coming together, however slowly. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Getting sleep isn't as easy as it should be, and I hope you were able to get some. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! Sojiro was still under the impression someone was checking up on her, so he wasn't sure why a sick Yume was allowed to go running around. And Persona-world law was the only reason nobody ever brought it up since Yume looked healthy and cared for. You're right, he really does… I might need to read it now. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! I'm glad you like it! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, A is for Anon, for your review! The Metaverse really is going to have a lot of people being beat up. Got to love boss fights and angry shadows. That's going to have a lot more impact later… for now it's just an annoying tick she can't shake. Thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, InnocentSerenade, for your review! Very close; Sojiro was under the impression someone was checking up on her, so it's even more worrisome she's been doing it all by herself. The laws in the Persona world are just more different than Yume realized. Other-Akira will start to come more, but it's sadly going to be a while before he pops up again. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Now, the next chapter… (lots to cover, so it should be a bit longer)**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

It's another case of one step in front of the other. Breakfast with Sojiro was a… nice affair; something different, pleasant, and yet just awkward enough that it's foreshadowing the long stretch it will take before they're both once again comfortable with company in the morning. It isn't until after the meal, when she's alone and walking for the park, that Yume realizes she feels _amazing_. Like she could run; not that she's going to. She has bundles of energy and wellness building up, waiting to be released. In this case, one step in front of the other means she has to _walk_ while her body craves to _run_.

It's especially hard once she sees the soccer kids. There's a twitch in her step as she enters the park. She needs to walk, though. _No need to push it_.

The boy from last week, Goro Akechi, glances over from his spot between others on the bench as she passes. Yume smiles and waves, faltering when he just stares back. Unable to run from the awkwardness, Yume puts her head down and stares at the path, walking on. _He forgot about_ -

 _No_ , Yume shakes her head to rid the silent battle going on. It shouldn't even be a battle. She's been lucky so far, with people remembering her. She's been lucky with _her_ memory. Children are great learners, but what did she impress upon the boy besides an original strange feeling and some cuts and bruises. He was wearing the cleats, so _maybe_ he remembers them as a gift. But she's still just another face in the crowd.

 _He's not my sister_ , Yume thinks, knowing the truth of the situation solidifies in that moment. _I'm not memorable._

She isn't going to start seeing old family and friends in people. The time for that has passed. Time to move on… No; rephrase that. _It's okay to move on._

"Don't get stuck in the past," Yume mutters before entering the second-hand store. She buys some leggings and fingerless gloves, getting a few looks from the cashier because it's May but whatever. As she cuts through the park again, she glances over to the bench once.

Goro Akechi stares back. He lifts a hand slowly and waves.

Yume can feel the smile come and go as she waves back. The acknowledgement completed, he goes back to staring at the game. Yume gets a better hold on her bags, and then walks out of the park a little faster. She chuckles a bit, wondering why something in her chest tightened and rebelled against his acknowledgement. She squashed it down easy enough because _was it ever even there_? Like the feeling-that-isn't in the Metaverse, only instead of drawn she was being tugged away.

Why are things always so weird? Honestly, if these videogame maybe-foreshadowing things keep happening, she's going to cave and risk moving past the app's database to see all of what the root user holds. She is _trying_ to live a life, thank you very much world!

Yume sets the bags down in her apartment and sighs at the sight of her ballet outfit. For some reason, completely unrelated to pretty much her entire time outside this morning, she feels like she's forgetting something. It almost feels like she should be preparing for a battle.

 _Huh._

;;;

Madam Himura.

Yume forgot about the crazy dance instructor.

"I'm sorry Madame," Yume says with wide eyes as she gets told off in low, cool tone for getting sick; like that was her own fault. "I promise I will work extra hard to catch up!"

"A suitable punishment must be made, though," the instructor mutters, eyes watching the trembling girl like a hawk. "Stand at the back bar and hold the forms I tell to you, Ms. Ishii. For every time you falter or remove your eyes from your classmates as they practice, you will hold the pose twice as long."

"Yes, Madame," Yume nearly sighs when she can't turn the mask of a terrified child off, knowing the woman will be watching.

"Dancing is a way of life, child," Himura says condescendingly, as if she knows Yume isn't taking her seriously. It's actually the contrary; Yume's never letting her guard down near the woman. "You will either master the basics, or fall to the wayside. I expect you to show up every day from now to the recital, or I will be forced to keep you from preforming."

Yume jolts at that, but no other kids seem surprised. The flash of panic – _can't let Sojiro down_ – turns into anger at the realization the woman just threatened her. A four year old kid. All because of one sick day. "Yes, Madame Himura."

The woman doesn't pick up on the killing intent as she orders Yume to the back. Yume watches, listens, and adds to her motivation to get through this woman's dungeon as the class goes on. The children aren't as scared as they are intimidated by the woman. They fall into line, doing moves and routines they started yesterday. Not one blinks or shifts when Himura shouts out a new move for Yume. Just to spite – or, who knows, maybe it will gain favour – the woman, Yume holds every pose. There are no breaks, meaning she loses feeling in her muscles and has to white-knuckle the bar whenever her legs threaten to collapse.

While she's used to limbs being strained and uncooperative, others are not. The first time a girl breaks routine and falls to the ground, she is sent to the back of the line and whispered honey covered threats by the instructor. The second time, Himura growls and sends that girl to the back. And finally, as they say, _third time's a charm_.

"Everyone stop!" Himura shouts, glaring at the girl on the ground. "Break, five minutes! Then you, Ms. Yasui, will be joining Ms. Ishii on the bar. Ms. Ishii, you are not excused."

 _Witch_ , Yume curses behind her blank stare and trembling muscles. She can't keep this up the rest of class. When the girl who squints a bit too much comes up beside her, Yume realizes Kotori Yasui won't be able to last either. Yume inwardly groans, knowing what she has to do.

"Yasui," Yume whispers with all seriousness. The other four year old pauses, casting wide eyes to the girl who hasn't moved in ten minutes. "Can't talk long. You need to stand as far away as you can in front of me, and when you feel like you're going to fall you need to signal me with a look in the mirror."

"What are you waiting for girl?" Himura snaps from the front. Yasui jumps and visibly relaxes when it isn't aimed at them but others in the front row.

"We get one break," Yume hisses. "I'll try to draw it out. Don't get caught."

The other girl takes a moment before realizing the dismissal. Yume sucks a large breath through her teeth and switches to the new position. She's proud of the other girl, who makes it through half a dozen, ten minute long holds before visibly showing signs of strain. The signal is a little too obvious, and Yume has to wait a few seconds for Himura to get into position, but the red and black haired girl drops like a rock onto the floor. Blood flow returns to its proper functions, and Yume takes the moment on her back to close her eyes and _breathe through the pain_.

 _This isn't a gunshot_ , Yume thinks as her head pounds and Himura's heels click with every step. _This isn't death. Did I say I felt amazing earlier? I take it all back._

Yume gets scolded, harsh low tones telling her this is why she must practice every day. Her request for a glass of water is denied, and Yume makes sure to stop her pleading just in time for the woman to not threaten kicking her out of the group again. Kotori Yasui watches it all, carefully has her hands on her knees and quiets her breathing to make sure Himura doesn't take notice. With Yume directing attention away from the mirrors and others in the group, most of the girls follow Kotori's example.

Then they're all at it for another thirty minutes.

Yume's sweated so much she couldn't cry at the pain if she wanted to. The girl drags her feet, taking Ms. Yasui's – _"Yume, after the stunt you pulled, I'd be honored if you called me Kotori"_ – thanks with as real a smile as possible. At the door, she's surprised by an out-of-nowhere hug. After regaining her balance, Yume clutches Miwa back as hard as she can.

"I was so worried when I heard you didn't show up yesterday," the older girl says, running her fingers over Yume's tied-back hair to try and fix it for something to keep busy. "Haru told Makoto and me today that you were sick. How are you feeling now?"

"Tired," Yume whimpers, slumping against the wall and sliding down until she's sitting on the floor. "I've fallen and I can't get up."

Miwa laughs, relief echoing in her tone. She sits beside the girl and lets Yume have her moment. While Yume's eyes are closed, she doesn't see Kotori walk up. She blinks blearily when the girl speaks to Miwa. "Madam Himura had her doing still-pose as punishment for missing class."

"…What?" comes a soft voice to their right. Haru doesn't move as her brittle smile hides a sinister undertone.

"I just won't _not_ show up again," Yume says, matching Haru's gaze with a blank face that hides her anger. "I'll keep my head down in class." She stares hard and tries to impress _don't do anything_ to the older girl.

"I'll look after her," Kotori speaks up, earning Yume's surprised look. The other girl's not quite squinting at Haru before she turns and squints at Miwa. _Vision problems_ , Yume's mind translates the behaviour before the words catch up with her. "I owe her, after all. Madam Himura gave me still-pose for punishment as well, and Yume made a big to-do to give us all breaks. It's the least I can do."

"I'll be fine," Yume protests weakly. She cringes under their combined glares.

"You can barely stand," Miwa points out.

Haru's smile grows sharper and sharper.

Yume glances between the girls, and something warms. She remembers this feeling, of knowing people have your back. She remembers last life it took a long time to understand it, to know others can care and _will_ help in times of need. She knows and yearns for the feeling, because it can give her a reason to want to live, to return the favour. Now, these three girls are willing to stand for her. This is what she wants, but is so scared to grasp.

However, Yume can't think of a way out of this, so she smiles and thanks them.

"Let's get you changed," Miwa says, helping her to her feet and thankfully not saying anything about the sweat.

"Just stick with me in class," Kotori says, like her friend group won't mind her adding a new member.

"We're driving you home," Haru books no nonsense when she keeps one arm around Yume at all times as they walk to the corner.

Yume is so used to doing things for others. She likes the solo act because that way she can't disappoint or can send gifts anonymously without fear of retribution. A lot of last life was support work. This isn't last life, and it takes the three girls supporting her in a dusty, empty hallway to truly realize she doesn't have to do everything alone. Suddenly, breakfast with Sojiro doesn't seem like another act she'll have to go through day after day; _he is making sure she's alive_. Akira's nightly phone calls mean he's supporting their friendship too; _he is hearing what she says_. Ryuji including her in his baseball isn't to show off her speed or have someone to cheer him on; _he is including his friend in his activities_.

 _I've been such an idiot_ , Yume thinks as she hugs Haru one last time before leaving the limo.

She's been so worried about keeping others out of her problems, that she's just been falling to an unhealthy support role again. That's a bad habit, believing she is only there to be used. She's a person too. She's trying to live. She needs to accept people aren't doing this for her skills; _they don't know what she can really do_.

Besides, supports don't beat dungeons.

 _It's about time she found a layout of the cabaret._

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! I've reworked this chapter so many times I was worried I wouldn't have it ready. It's a lot shorter than I would have liked, but it's a start. Also, I am totally looking forward to making a subplot-like thing about Akira's name (because Ren Amamiya) in the future. Hope everyone is having a nice holiday, and a nice December!**

 **Thank you, mayurie, for your review! It will be interesting if they ever get Yume to stop long enough to talk… The kids really are fun. Them and Sojiro always make for good fluff. Thank you again for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Glad to hear! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so reviewing!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! She's still not sure how much freedom she can get with her amnesiac sitter, so not telling Sojiro gives her some leeway. And she's not really supposed to know about it, just like she isn't supposed to know about her parents 'business trips'. Thank you for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! Glad to hear! Thank you again, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Guest, for your review! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Xxser3ndipityxX, for your reviews! Just,** _ **thank you so much!**_ **I really appreciate you taking the time to write for practically every chapter, and how much you wrote. It really means a lot to know others like my story, and to know the hints I'm dropping are getting picked up. You're absolutely right about the honorifics. Everything about the dots will (eventually) be explained, and sorry if it doesn't make much sense now. Yah, Yume's lack-of Persona knowledge will definitely have its moments; and when the P5 plot does come around she'll be in for a surprise. You're really on the right track about the dungeon-list (Treasure Hoard thing); there's definitely a mixture of both super-strong-distortion and length of time it's been around. I can't say much, but it does come up more after this tutorial-like arc is done. The cabaret… has a lot of secrets too it. I'm glad I've done the characters justice so far! You are absolutely on-point about Sadayo, Tae, and Kayo (I honestly called her reporter partner devil-woman while I played so I completely understand not remembering her name oh my gosh). It's definitely an interesting team of current Phantom Thieves. The living room safe room… it comes back to a few things that will be explained later, such as what makes a distortion weak. Yah, Ryuji got a few lines explaining his father... none of it was good. With all these 'dungeons' Yume's got, hopefully she can get strong enough to do something to help the kid. Oh the Trkstr_function… pretty much exactly what it sounds like, but without the full setting on Yume's issues with it have already started (trouble with physical contact is an example). Akechi was actually supposed to have a larger section this chapter, but I then realized that he, Yume, and myself need to work up their introductions or it's going to be talking in circles for days. The difference between Yume's first meetings – whether it felt like oil or gasoline – will definitely be cleared up sooner or later; by now Tetsuya is almost completely sure of why it happened when they met. Sorry there won't be any reveal for Yume's arcana in a while, but awesome reasoning! Tristan and Sophia... they come into play more later, so don't discount any theories yet. The law does suck, but hopefully I can attempt to make it make some sense when Yume finally sits down and reads it through. And as for the main plot… honestly, I'll be beyond excited when it finally gets there. Again, I want to thank you so much for your reviews! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again!**

 **Happy holidays**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Yume bites her tongue as hard as she can and reaches up once again. She feels the bartender's counter, an eye always on the shadow man in a tux mixing drinks for guests. Finally, she grabs the paper she wants, biting her tongue harder to keep the curse-turned-exclamation silent as she ducks away and behind the crates in the dark corner. The sound of glass shatters and she notices the cup stain on the map. Whoops.

While the shadows in Himura's mind clean up the mess, Yume tries to sneak a peek at the map with what little light she can use. All she can see is a… barcode?

"Ugh," the bartender grumbles, picking up a ruined napkin. He makes his way to the phone on the wall and dials. "I need someone to send the customer's map down here. … Yes, another one. … I _will_ get this one to Juniper, as soon as it arrives. I know it's not protocol. … Fine."

Yume raises an eyebrow at the lucky break. Here she was worried she'd have to teleport out if he went searching. More importantly: _customer's map?_ There's more to this place than a six-by-six inch piece of paper?

Yume hides behind some untouched chairs and crates at the very back of the seated dining and theater room. She goes over the map, frowning. It isn't just a barcode, but there is a string of numbers and letters in the bottom corner. The map itself shows 'special' rooms in addition to the theater room and entrance. It doesn't show any servicing halls and staff rooms that she has definitely passed. The safe room she uses is smudged out, which is _very_ interesting to the four year old with a mind for patterns. Two other rooms are smudged out as well, and she makes finding one of them a goal for the next hour she's got left here.

Now, for the barcode, Yume rummages through her things and unwraps her phone from its bubble wrapping. She goes to Himura's dungeon tab and painstakingly types in each number and letter into the search bar of the map. It works, and Yume glances over to the door nearest her left. A guard stands watch over the exit to the paths for the next safe rooms.

The girl sighs and turns to the stage to watch the dancers as she tries to think of a way around this. Somehow knock out the guard? See if there is an exit backstage? She'd rather take the routes she knows, and not guess and check. Maybe keep her phone out if she has to take the risk. _Risk without reward_ is more than likely if she can't-

A dancer collapses. Yume's wince turns into a horrified gasp when the dancer suddenly falls through the stage and out of sight. The girl quickly scrambles up the crates for a better view. She brings a hand to her forehead to focus and peer but there's… _nothing_. Someone's already taken the dancer's place. There isn't any faltering in the other ladies' moves as the newest dancer places herself the missing one's steps.

Yume swears and drops into a ball on the crate. Discarding her planning, she watches the dancers spin and twirl and leap. They go through the motions but now that she _focuses_ and _looks_ at their every move, it stands out. They move gracefully, but never expend more energy than they must. There are pale dancers, but there are also _ashen_. Some bodies are too tightly coiled. Others shake at their strain. The dancers on stage are not having fun, and not doing this because they love it.

The question now is _why?_

Yume shakes her head and looks over to the bar. She repacks her cellphone and stuffs the map in a spare pocket. Her face scarf is repositioned securely around her mouth, and then she slinks towards the man getting a free map from the bartender.

She didn't want to think of this – isn't sure it will work – but it's an option she has to try at least once; if she can figure out how to work it.

Yume quietly haunts the shadows behind the VIP known as Juniper. When one of his hands gets the map from the bartender, Yume brushes her fingers against his other one. She doesn't feel different, but she takes no chance and turns away, moving to the shade of a banister close to the guarded exit.

Legs reflect against the banister poles instead of her head; pants the same colour as Juniper's. Yume bites and swallows the whine building in her throat. She can't stop her wide eyes, staring at something that isn't. She glances at her hands. They don't reflect in the pole, but they are unchanged in her view.

Whatever happened with Jack Frost worked and she's trying hard not to breakdown.

Yume discreetly tugs the fingerless gloves and lowers her hands back to her sides. When she shifts her legs, the reflection copies. Size difference, yet same motions. That makes sense, but what happens when she moves to look at people? A full-body mirror would be helpful, instead of a pole in the ground. And what about arm length? What if people start going through her? Can people go through the… _projection_? And how does it break? Does it- will it keep to reality? What happens if she returns home looking like someone else?

A voice comes from behind her, cutting through her thoughts. It's a masked waiter, telling her it's her time for the _special event_. He thinks she's Juniper. After receiving a strange look when she glances up at the mask, Yume keeps her eyes forward and nods. She keeps silent as she's lead past the guard, into a soundproof hallway. Does the projection include voices? Is the person she's hiding as acting out-of-character? _Where are they going?_

The last question is answered quickly. Apparently there is a strip club in the cabaret. And not just one type.

"What even?" Yume mutters after the masked waiter has left to serve some other people. She has instructions to follow the map to other sections of the cabaret. This first room is apparently the mixture of erotic and raunchy, and splitting around the area leads to more of one or the other. Yume moves for the hallway with the safe room in the middle, the one which leads to the erotic sections. The girl tries not to appear like she's running for it. Once inside, she lets her body shake out the shivers and panic, blinking in shock as the room shifts into a practice room and then back to storage. It's too many thoughts and theories for her brain to handle at the moment. Right now, she looks for a reflective surface. Very carefully, Yume looks at the legs of her reflection. Then she slaps herself.

"At least that works." The girl rubs her jaw; not stopping the relieved smile spread as her reflection copies her staring at same-height green eyes. "But there's got to be a better way."

She's not complaining; it's just _ouch_.

"Now," Yume moves to the table in the middle of the room. She shoulders her bag and digs for her phone. "Where am I going…?"

There's a small, thin hallway in the corner of the nearest erotic section. She can use that to connect towards the backrooms. Her map labels them staff rooms, but they also lead to the other safe room. She memorizes the path as she sips from a water bottle. A few normal hallways, one other tiny hall leading to a room, and some stairs. It should be simple enough.

"Should be," she mutters, packing everything away. The sight of a back, belonging to a masked shadow-person, isn't comforting though when she peeks out the door. Even then, ducking behind the shadows of furniture and walls actually seems to successfully hide her from the shadow patrols. _Maybe they can't see through the sides of the masks_ , Yume ponders. As long as she stays in the peripheral, nothing even twitches towards her.

Then comes the next problem: there isn't a staff door in the erotic section.

Yume barely needs to hide, as all of the attention from the VIPs are on the dancers. She slips into the corner and feels around in the dark. Her hands find cool metal, and then slide down further to find gaps.

An air vent.

 _That's just grate_.

She stifles a laugh at the unintended, sarcastic pun and carefully undoes the screws. It takes her longer than she'd like to get the cover off. It takes even longer to crawl through the cold, dusty inside.

 _Almost done_ , Yume thinks as she drags herself into the light of the staffroom. The pattern of hallway hide-and-don't-let-them-see continues after, with her dodging the masked shadow people as she lurks in the dark spaces.

The girl freezes at a clicking sound coming from an open door. Heels. She goes to hide by the door shadows, slowly peeking in.

Himura paces back and forth. A dancer in her late teens or early twenties sits with her back straight in a chair, unmoving and unblinking. There's something almost familiar about the younger woman, but the doors on the other side of the room slam open before Yume can figure out why. Another dancer is dragged in by two of the masked staff. The other moves out of the chair just in time for the dragged one to be forced into it.

This one is more than familiar. Crying silently as Himura puffs her chest and stalks in front of the chair, this new dancer was the one who fell through to the floor in the main area.

"Your punishment has been decided," Himura says in a low, betrayed tone. As if the older woman is hurt by even looking at the crying woman. "Alha will be dealing with you from now on." The woman cups her hands under the crier's cheeks. "You've wasted your potential. You could have been great; if only you focused and practiced." The woman shakes her head sharply and steps back, turning fully around and signalling to the guards and other dancer. "Get her out of my sight."

"N-no," the dancer begs, being dragged towards Yume's door. The girl dives away behind a few boxes, listening to the screams come closer. "Madam! Please! I will be better! Give me another chance!"

Yume holds her breath as the crying dancer is dragged into the hall. The blank faced one grabs the door, slamming it once the others are out. As flat as her face, Himura says, "There are no second chances for the broken."

Not even when the silence penetrates can Yume find her breath. She carefully looks over at the room Himura is locked into. Then she continues, trying hard not to rush to the safe room.

All of that was how Himura sees the world if she had some form of absolute power. Yume assumed it would be bad but…

 _No second chances for the broken?_

It's frightening to think what would have happened had Yume not proven she could hold positions for long stretches of time. That might have been a minor punishment if this is how Himura would treat older dancers. And Alha… The woman is familiar because Yume's got some good dirt on the nightclub the woman works at. It's a classy place, even with the drug money and prostitution that goes on behind the scenes. So, the question, did Himura teach Alha to dance, or does she control the young woman's working situation?

Yume, safely tucked in the safe room, stares at the slow-changing numbers of her phone's clock.

 _Is it all deeper than she thought?_

This is Persona. The answer is most likely 'yes'.

;;;

"Idiots," Kotori huffs and practically guards the shorter girl. She glances over at Yume. "Don't pay attention to them."

"Thanks," Yume's mouth quirks in a smile before she looks worriedly over at the group Kotori normally hangs out with on break. "But, I don't want to get in between your friends and you…"

"You aren't," the girl snorts and settles against the wall. Yume unconsciously copies the position. "And really, we're only friends by con-vein-ee-ence. We keep up on gossip with each other, but we don't, like, um, play or anything."

"Still," Yume ducks her head to hide the smile. "Thank you. I appreciate you staying by me this class."

"I think we're all a bit afraid of teach on some level," Kotori mutters back, crossing her arms as her shoulders hunch. "And besides, I owe you for yesterday."

"You don't-"

"I really do," Kotori frowns and glances around the class with a calculating look. "I've never even thought twice about disobeying the teacher, but I needed the out you gave me. I never thought about a mentor being _wrong_ before."

Yume's eyes flicker up, and then go back to people watching. She understands, of course. It's just always a bit sad to see when a person realizes that being an adult doesn't mean they know best. It's been a… _long_ time since Yume lost that filter. Not since- well… not since before her younger brother's death last life.

"Why do we not question?" Kotori mutters, talking to herself. "Why does no one realize how wrong it all is?"

"Did you question?" Yume asks, following the girl to their places when the madam calls end of break.

"No," Kotori says; face a cool and thoughtful expression. It contrasts her frustrated words well. "I had all the information, but I didn't want to get involved. Why didn't I want to do anything?"

"Probably a few reasons," Yume says, avoiding the taller girl's sharp eyes. "I know I stay silent because I don't want to draw attention. If I started talking about how hard we are pushed in these lessons, too many negative things could happen."

"You're afraid."

Yume slips her a tired, sardonic smile before the lesson continues. "Like you said, we all are on some level."

The fear their words will be brushed off. Told they are exaggerating. Told they just need to practice more. Their words pushed aside because how could a woman who's worked so long with kids, teens, and adults actually do that? How could she get away with it?

The fear they will get in trouble going against authority. This is their teacher, instructor, mentor. Himura is supposed to push. She is taller, stronger, and scarier. She has the power against all her students.

The fear of drawing attention to their home life. Yume and a few others' fear. If those in charge do listen to the student's complaints, their guardians will be brought in to deal with it. What if there are no guardians or if there are bad guardians? What if dancing is an escape from home? What if telling someone changes _everything_?

After class, the four girls – Haru, Kotori, Miwa, and Yume – walk to the front entrance together. They split two and two; Yume squawking when Miwa ruffles her hair in goodbye. The other girls laugh and they leave on a happy note. It's a relief; a great feeling that her friends can make her smile after the stress of exploring the dungeon, and then being stuck in Himura's class today.

It makes her feel a little more _normal_. It makes the world feel a little more _real_. She may not be able to explain to them why it's important she cares, but the fact she does care is important to her little red and black haired self.

"Mr. Takakura is staying for dinner tomorrow," Haru says with an uneasy smile as they wait for her ride.

Yume holds the older girl's free hand and prompts the rest. "Is it alright he is staying?"

"It is." Haru's shoulders slump and she tightens her grip on the younger girl. "He normally only stays over when there is a big project happening within the company. Or when there's going to be one."

"Oh," Yume nods. "So, do he and your father talk about business all night?"

"For many days," Haru whines in a whisper. "And I know father wants me to start sitting in on their meetings but it's hard…"

"So don't," Yume leans her head on the other's shoulder to offer some comfort. "Not until you're ready. And if you father pushes, tell him you aren't ready and maybe list off some reasons why you feel you aren't ready."

Haru relaxes, hugging the girl when the car rolls onto their street. "That's a good plan. Can I phone if I need some ideas?"

"Of course," Yume reassures her. Haru ruffles Yume's hair, adding to the mess. The younger girl groans and waves as her friend slides into the limousine. Then she's off, merrily walking home with plans to pick up some snacks and say hello to the stores' employees she hasn't seen in a while.

Not noticing a boy with reddish-brown eyes pausing on the sidewalk to watch her.

;;;

"Sojiro?" Yume asks as she oh-so-helpfully pushes their dirty plates across the table so he can put them in the sink. "Do you think you can pick me up at-" she says the time fifteen minutes after dance class has ended.

"Sure," he hums thoughtfully. "Why?"

"I usually wait with a friend after class," Yume explains. "We have to cool down, get changed, and wait for her driver… stuff like that."

"Alright," he raises an eyebrow but doesn't press why. Sojiro's a great friend. She makes sure to give him an extra hug when she smiles and thanks him. "You're the one waiting longer. It's not my problem."

"Still, thank you," she smiles and follows him to the door. Dinner finished, he walks her back to the apartment building. It's a comfortable silence and she can let herself relax and be the introvert she is at heart.

She wonders if these moments of calm will be a common thing. Yume really hopes so.

;;;

"I would love to," Yume says, hiding her surprise the best she can. It's easy, as they talk over the phone. Show on her face, not her tone. "Whenever you're ready, Akira."

It takes him almost five minutes of him starting and stopping before he gets the hand of reading out loud. A couple words are tripped over, a few coughs, and some pauses when he has to remember to relax, but he gets through the prologue of his reading assignment.

"You did really well," Yume says, blinking wide eyes at the couch cushion across from her. And he did. That's the most she's heard him say in one go, and he did it _well_. When his voice gave out on a word, he calmed down and whispered lower so he could say it instead of skipping it. "And you have an awesome voice. Like, there's a public speaker tone to it. I mean, the kind of voice that holds the crowd; that people listen to. You know?" He hums positive in response. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted," he says, huffy.

She laughs, "Well, I'll let you sleep soon. Oh, right, forgot to tell you earlier, but I won't be able to answer the phone tomorrow night."

There's some rustling, but otherwise it is suddenly silent on the other end of the phone. "Akira?"

"Why?" he asks, tone almost weary.

"Futaba and I are having a sleep over." Yume blinks at the soft sigh coming from the other side. "I just thought I should warn you. I'll definitely be around Sunday if you want to phone again, but I won't be able to pick up tomorrow."

"Alright," he agrees quickly. "So, talk a little longer."

"If you don't want to go to sleep right now." She laughs hesitantly.

"No. Talk."

Yume blurts out a chuckle, which is then reciprocated when he hears her mock, "So bossy."

She finally stops their chat when she can hear him yawning through the receiver. Yet, even after she's placed the phone back in its cradle, something makes her think he would have stayed up all night just so he wouldn't mind missing their chat the next day.

"That's silly," Yume chuckles to her reflection around her toothbrush. She looks at the foam mustache gathering and chuckles again.

It's okay. She'll take what silliness she can get before she has to face her nightmares once again.

* * *

 **A/N: Apparently writing out a dungeon isn't enjoyable and takes longer than it should. Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope everyone's enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! Yep, you're correct with both. Now Yume just needs to connect the dots… Glad to hear Kotori's welcomed! Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, GlaresThatKill, for your review! It really means a lot to hear that; thank you so much! For Yume's typing, she might as well be using one finger with how long it takes on her phone, hahaha. Apologies it's been a wait between updates; I hope the chapter makes up some of that. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Xxser3ndipityxX, for your review! I hope I do him justice (no pun intended) as the story progresses; especially as he's one of the few characters I'm looking forward to writing more. Yep, Japan's just full of strong dungeons it seems. It's not quite Yume being distorted… but there's a whole mess of plot lines that will explain it; hopefully I can get them to answer something by the end of this dungeon. Honestly, I'm waiting for it too. Hopefully the build-up for the actual plot of Persona 5 will be worth it. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Hahaha, I don't think any of the girls would mind if someone punched her. Just got hold off for the dungeon boss… Glad to hear! Hope you're okay for a little Futaba fluff next! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your reviews! Oh yes, definitely not done with the Eguchi family. It's be really funny to see, because how does no one not find the app on their friend's/family's phone? And when the Thieves and Yume meet… I hope I do that cluster justice. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your reviews! Right? Akira doesn't even have to try and he's ranking up Charm. Definitely more on time loop Akira later, and hopefully Yume's Arcana is worth the suspense. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, Eleni, for your review! It really means a lot to hear you like it enough to reread it. Thank you so much! You're really close with the white dot idea. At the moment only the Dark Hour has one, but it may change later… You're really on the right track with Tetsuya. He will explain it later, but he does have something Yume would consider a 'main character power'. Got it in one with the blue dot. The strange feelings are a bit more complicated… same with Yume's situation; thank you so much for writing out your ideas, I'm so glad to know the hints are getting picked up. The other Persona games will have… moments. I haven't played either, but they do happen and Yume will get sudden reminders that** _ **they do happen**_ **. Hopefully I can do justice for the other games. Thank you so much for reviewing. I truly appreciate it, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Happy February**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Hi Yume!" chirps the cashier, leaning over the counter to see the small child. The young woman, absolutely _bored_ this bright and sunny Saturday morning, motions the girl over to talk. "Haven't seen you running in a while. How have you been?"

Yume greets her by name and stands just far enough back she isn't in the way if anyone wants to use the till. Not that anyone would. She can see maybe three people over by the glass section. It's probably going to be a slow day for all the shops on this strip. "I've been practising for my dance recital next month."

"Oh, dancing," the woman smiles and eyes gleam, thankful for a distraction. "I had a friend who did dancing classes for a few years. And a younger cousin who's top in her school's club. Do you think you'll do it in school?"

Yume hums and shakes her head. "I enjoy it, but I don't think I want to continue."

"That's fine," the woman nods, gaze flickering to the side as someone hesitantly inches towards them with a shopping basket. "Maybe you'll pick it up when you're older. Lots more options then. Nice seein' you!"

"You too!" Yume waves as she moves backwards. Once in the threads section, she sees the perfect shade of black to patch up her tights. Too bad it's two shelves higher than her. She gets on her toes with a hard sigh, clawing at the air just below. "Oh, come on."

" _Dream_ ," says a voice behind her.

Yume blinks and falls back on her heels. She can normally tell the difference when someone says her name versus someone saying 'dream'. While the word was definitely said as an afterthought, the blue haired kid leaning a bit too close beside her is staring like he addressed her. Also, _how_ did he get so close?

The girl blinks owlishly and points a thumb at herself. "Yume?"

He nods and narrows his eyes, leaning more towards her head. "Red and black."

Oh. She remembers him now. "How are you, Mr. Kitagawa?"

The ward of the painter dude. The kid with a big, untouchable inheritance left by his grandparents after they learned their daughter died. The disappointment daughter, if the fact she was kicked out of her home is any indicator. He'll be loaded when he's an adult, because he's their grandchild nonetheless.

 _That was a fun night of research._

"Well," Kitagawa answers with the short word. He carefully pokes her hair, making an interested noise. "Black and red."

Yume chuckles and leans back a little. He lets her only because she shows him how she can hide the red strands by pulling back her hair. "Now, black."

"In-ter-sting," he nods sharply. "Now red?"

Yume fiddles with her hair so it becomes _mostly_ red. Almost half. Most of her hair is in front of her face, and she sticks out her tongue and huffs to get the hairs out of her mouth.

Kitagawa hums and steps back. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…?" Yume says hesitantly, pushing her hair back to normal.

He looks over to shelves and, with an ease that leaves the girl in envious disbelief, hops up and grabs the black spool of thread two shelves higher than them. He hums distastefully at the cheap stuff and holds it out to her. "Sowing?"

"Sowing," Yume nod, taking it with a small bow and a 'thank you'.

"Paints," he says, grabbing her hand and dragging her without warning. Yume yelps but goes along. She greets the boy's guardian with a nod as they pass to the expensive side of the paints' isle. The man, giving a sigh of relief, nods back and watches them, amused. "Best paints."

"They look nice," Yume comments, absolutely _not_ wrinkling her face at the price tag. Those things are _expensive_ for such small tubes. "Have you used any?"

"No," Kitagawa shakes his head, lips turning down into a small pout. "Want to though."

"Not until you're older," the kid's guardian says with a chuckle. "Say goodbye to your friend, Yusuke. I've got some new water colours for you to try."

The boy perks up, back stiffening, and nods seriously. He shakes the hand he dragged her around by, and then releases with a step back. As he bows a bit, he utters his, "Goodbye."

"It was nice seeing you again, Mr. Kitagawa," Yume says with a slight bow back and an amused smile that just looks like she's dimpling at him. "Happy Saturday!"

He nods and half waves, stepping back to grab his guardian's free hand. Yume hums and goes back to the sowing isle. She wonders if the kid will grow up to become an artist like his mother wanted to be, like his guardian is. He certainly seems interested in it. Maybe she'll ask if they know any good needle-and-thread techniques; because no matter how much the kid frowns at her cheap purchases, the amazing patch jobs on their clothes don't have any higher quality thread. Maybe if they meet again.

Yume takes a step back from the shelves and hisses. How dare the spools she needs be on the even higher shelves.

She looks forward to the day she doesn't need a stool to reach everything.

;;;

"Everything's in my bag," Yume assures Sojiro while she practically skips next to him. The last time she had a sleepover with someone was a couple weeks before she got sh- _died_. Before she died. So sue her, she's excited. "Will you need help with dinner tonight?"

He gives an exasperated look tinged with fondness as he tells her, "No, I can handle it."

"Is it curry?" Yume smiles wider when he scoffs but doesn't deny. It's the man's favourite to make, or so it seems since he's made it for dinner two out of three times now. "Your curry is the best, Sojiro. I could eat it forever!" _Just as long as you keep mixing spices_.

"Thanks, kid," he grunts with a smile.

When they reach his house, Yume is tackled by a blur of orange and green. Only with the help of Sojiro do the girls not go tumbling as Futaba clings to Yume's middle. The man slips the red and black haired girl's shoulder bag off her when he thinks she's not looking and then goes to greet his old friend.

"I brought a Console Cube!" Futaba says excitedly. "We can race and party and smash!"

"That sounds like fun," Yume smiles and pries the girl off her enough to loop arms with her. Futaba drags her in the house and to her mother. "Hello Ms. Isshiki!"

"Hello, Yume," Futaba's mother smiles indulgingly and pulls her purse back when her daughter tries to grab at it. "I'll help you set up the console in a minute dear. How are dance classes, Yume?"

The girl makes a small grimace and shrugs. "The teacher we have now is kind of mean, but I really enjoy dancing with my friends! And I can do the splits!"

The woman asks a few more questions before she and Sojiro go to his guest room and set up the television for them. Futaba bugs Yume to show them some moves, and everyone 'ooh's appropriately when she does the splits. The adults leave them as Futaba puts in the first game and gets her friend set up.

"I call aliens," Futaba huffs, handing over the second player controller. Yume nods, blinking and trying to get over the fact the game is so similar and yet completely different to a game in her last life. Futaba makes a grossed-out noise at her friend's first pick. "Don't choose the princes! Choose the handywomen!"

Yume twitches to hide her smile and does as told.

Futaba nods and goes for the beginner racing course. "The princes are liars and always are in trouble. The handywomen _always_ save them."

"Thank you," Yume says, glancing down at the controller and wondering if it the same as a previous life. "What about the aliens?"

"They are boss fights!" Futaba cheers, throwing a fist in the air. "The aliens are super strong and defeat everyone!"

Yume doesn't have the heart to mention it _probably_ isn't good if the bosses keep beating the heroines. "Um, Futaba?" She blinks as the racetrack comes up on screen. "How do I play?"

"Just follow me!" the little girl cheers and her characters shoot forward on their race car.

Yume learns quickly that what is accelerate in one life is reverse in another.

;;;

Two adults, a man and a woman, stand on either side of a large, empty, grey room. Both look like a rainbow threw up on them, as not one piece of clothing is the same colour. The taller of the two, the woman, raises a purple gloved hand with her fingers ready to snap. The man grabs the edge of his white top hat. A silent beat counts down, and then music blares up – _in English_.

"Cleopatra!" the woman snaps her fingers and calls her Persona.

The man smiles cheekily and tilts his head. "Flamel!"

They shout out their attacks, letting the test of magic continue until the song ends. Then they meet in the middle, adrenaline fueled smiles on their face as they reach out and shake hands.

"Are you feeling better now, Sof?" the man asks.

"Much," the woman, Sofia Robles, replies. She lifts her blue winged, white crescent moon shaped mask up to show her expressions to her follow Librarian. "Thank you for this. The last message really rattled me."

"Well, you have reason," the man lifts his blue swirls marked, white mask and follows her out the doors of the training room. "I'm sure I'll be offended too when I read the missives."

"I just- how _dare_ they?" Sofia snaps, face twisting in a tired anger as she moves to the bookshelves. "We're trying our best with what we've got. It's not like we can just up and move the Library whenever we feel like it."

The man snorts. "They're on about that again? Who was it this time?"

"England," she hisses, grabbing the too-thick book labelled _Treasure Hoard – England_. "It's like they think we can just pop over to a dungeon infested territory and create tarot groups willy-nilly. We're not a _room_ , we're a _building_! It's not our job!"

"I'll contact the Libraries in the U.S.A.," the man says, leaving her for the front desk. "Maybe I can convince one of them to deal with whatever problem England's having."

"If you're sending a message, make sure to contact your family," Sofia calls back, making him grimace. "I can feel you pouting! I'm sure your aunt misses you! Why not take a vacation to see her! Get out of the other world for a while!"

"Maybe later!" he calls before turning to the missives and muttering, "or never." He pauses after five minutes of shuffling and skimming. A three sentence sheet of paper has him running for the history books.

"What?" Sofia asks, following him in his rush. "Tristan?"

Tristan Alan blinks in disbelief as he reads through last April's dates. "It's fixed."

"What?" Sofia frowns and looks at the page he opened to. "What's fixed?"

"The date," Tristan breathes, pointing to Wednesday two days before Showa Day. The Wednesday without a date. "We're back to following the proper calendar."

"What?" the woman snaps and glances over, flipping through pages. "It's, but no… We would have noticed. And we might still be wrong. When does it change back?"

"May 31st is blurred this year," he replies, pulling out and scanning through the book that should be the notes for this month. "So it's just thirty-three-ish days."

"That's the longest it has been," Sofia says with a small laugh. "So, what? Did a demon try to fix our fractured timeline again?"

 _No_ , Tristan thinks as he stares at the blurred out date. The rooms stopped trying, and when they tried before they could barely get a few days in the correct timeline. Besides, they are so far ahead of the correct dates it's impossible to line up everything. The proof is here, as no matter the correct date they are still in the wrong year.

"Why thirty-three days?" he mutters, grabbing and flicking open the book for June. He pauses on the fifth. There's a note from their current Trickster: ' _Important'_. "Hey Sofia, do you know what's on June fifth?"

"Hmm?" the woman looks over from glaring at the April book. "There's something in June already?"

"According to Tetsuya, yes."

;;;

"You know what they told me when I asked again for her research?" Wakaba says sourly, glaring at her glass of wine like it caused her every problem. "They told me it is only for those on the research team. That just because I work in the same building, and am on a higher clearance level, doesn't mean I can touch anything of hers." She sighs heavily and runs a hand through her bangs.

"Hey," Sojiro says, rubbing a hand on her shoulder. "You will be able to get what she wanted you to find. I can always start asking around, too."

"No," she shakes her head. "It really isn't worth it, Sojiro. And I should give up. I _should_ give this up."

They fall silent for a long while.

"When you two were rivals through school," Sojiro brings up, "I remember, after that really awful boyfriend of yours, that she would swear every day if you didn't get the same mark or better than her, then she would drag you through tutoring hell with her."

"And she did," Wakaba snorts, cracking a smile.

"She did," Sojiro agrees, toasting to the dead woman. "You never got lower than her again."

Wakaba smiles a bit more and chuckles. "Ticked her off to no end."

The silence is better this time. Wakaba breaks it with a knowing sigh as she watches her wine swirl in its glass. "Some days I wonder how her kid's doing." Sojiro hums questioningly. "Futaba asked about him on her birthday, you know? I felt awful, but it helped that she stopped bringing Goro around before her death." Wakaba lets out a harsh breath and buries her head in her hands. "Oh, I hated saying that. I shouldn't ever say that. If I had been around more- if I had _known_ -"

"Don't," Sojiro says, prying a hand from her face so she can at least meet his stare as a lifeline. " _No one_ knew. No one even suspected. Akechi showed no sign of wanting to commit suicide. She was holding strong against everything. We and her other friends were there for her. What happened is not your fault."

"I can't help feeling this awful," Wakaba says logically. "Even if it's been more than a year. And I can't feel any more awful knowing that I am unfit to take care of her child, even if I knew where Goro ended up."

"Then we hope he ended up with some loving relatives," Sojiro says, releasing her. "That's all we can do for him. And you can decide whether you want to pursue obtaining her leftover research or not."

Wakaba shakes her head with a smile. "If it was anyone else, I'm sure I would have stopped trying ages ago."

But she doesn't mention they offer her full access to the files as long as she takes over the job her dead friend left unfilled. The job that pays less, with less flexible hours. The job she would have taken, but she loves her daughter too much. She won't get lost in research. She won't distance from her friends and family. Not like her friend once did.

;;;

Yume is afraid. Not for herself, though. She has nightmares frequently and she's used to them by now. A plus of not sharing a space with another person means no one notices her waking up terrified, scream just barely making past her lips or cheeks stained with tears. It's always good to be mindful of who's around.

So, she's afraid for Futaba, who sleeps curled up to Yume's back. She's afraid to wake up her friend. She's afraid to fall asleep. It's why she can be awake for a few more minutes than normal.

Sleep puts her under when she goes to blink and never quite makes her eyes open.

 _Instead of the usual – the phone call/ the interrogation room/ her sister's prison window/ the gunman coming into her workplace/ the_ _ **phone call**_ _– it's sand for miles. A desert, where the sun beats too hot and the air holds mirages of palm trees and pyramids and –_ _is that a walking-talking sphinx?_

" _Don't just stand there!" a man who looks suspiciously like Sojiro shouts. "Subdue the apparition, men!"_

" _She killed me!" howls the sphinx. It has… Wakaba's head? The heck? "I will get her! Do you hear me?"_

" _Don't let it near the queen!" the Sojiro look-a-like shouts as his men tighten the ropes around the sphinx._

 _Yume blinks in the dream, but doesn't actually feel the need to get involved…? Or go near the giant sphinx that's turning its captors into mist with one hit…? And no one seems to notice her there so… Yah. She's going to explore the amazing looking city. Hopefully the problem she leaves behind is just a weird dream on her part._

 _No need to think too deeply on it._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey look, some fluff, angst,** _ **and**_ **plot. Hope people enjoyed!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! Tetsuya and co. are definitely going to busy, especially since only a few of them can go to their next dungeon. Yep, that was Akechi; glad his little mention wasn't too sneaky. Alice, Lucifer… whoever else they can drag to Japan… it's going to be** _ **great**_ **fun for little Yume. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Stay tuned for some actual answers, because I'm sure this brought more questions. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! Yah, she might not take it well seeing her teacher's mental cognition of the young girls. Sorry if the reflection wasn't clear, she saw the actual VIP until she slapped herself. Maybe when she figures out what exactly happens it will become clearer… Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! I really appreciate it! Thanks again, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I've been thinking about posting the, somewhat spoiler, AU drabbles I've written for this story. They're based off of 'what ifs' and old notes that I've changed through Source Code's progression. Is anyone interested in that?**

 **Have a great week.**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

 **What – Has Happened, Will Happen, Or Won't Happen – Again:**

 _May 8, 20XX_

 _Sophia glances up when she hears the door open. The woman takes her bundle of books, carefully cradling them as she skips around the shelves, aiming for the entrance. "Hey! You're all back early. Did you guys find what you needed alrea-" her breath catches at the unexpected sight, "- dy…"_

 _Morgana grins and poses. He pretends her face doesn't go from shock to relief, "Hey ya, Angel," to betrayed to flat, "how's it be-" to her turning sharply and striding away, "en… Angel? Hey!"_

" _He's your problem," Sophie bites out to the other Librarian. Neither Tristan nor Morgana go after her when she storms into a maze of shelves._

" _What are you doing here, Mona?" Tristan says tiredly. Morgana pretends that doesn't hurt. "You'll be in a lot of trouble if your old teammates catch you."_

" _Mreow," the humanoid cat brushes off the man's warning and hops on the central desk. "I'll be fine. Besides, they should be thankful! This new group doesn't have_ 'responsibilities' _and can actually do something about palaces!"_

 _Tristan stares long and hard. "Mona. I know you want your memories back, but running away all the time? Jumping into palaces when you don't know the strengths and weaknesses? You're going to end up getting yourself or those kids –_ don't look so surprised that we know – _killed."_

" _Grr," Morgana sneers, but its more adorable than threatening. "What do you know, Chemist? These kids have skill! We're a great team! And Joker can switch Personas! With a skill like that, we can't lose!"_

 _Tristan's face twists with pain before he goes as impassive and blank as possible. "What information are you here for, Mona?"_

 _The stiffness hurts the humanoid cat more than the resigned attitude. Morgana doesn't say sorry – not to the Librarian's; it's their job to give information freely – and holds his head high with the cockiest smirk he can muster. "Tell me everything you have about Madarame."_

* * *

 **What Continues To Be:**

May 8, 2005

"They're so lively," Ms. Eguchi chuckles, watching the kids run around the park. "I remember when my sons were their age; my only saving grace was them listening to the 'stay in sight of me' rule."

"Ryuji follows that rule, however reluctantly," Ms. Sakamoto smiles a bit wryly, trying not to flinch when a hidden bruise twinges. "Before putting him in clubs he would be everywhere, a bit like a hummingbird. I'd see him one second, but turn my back and he'd move in front of me and start running straight."

"I worked fulltime with three boys; the clubs were my saving grace," Ms. Eguchi smiles in thought. The silence stretches and the older woman almost doesn't want to break it. This is important, though. "If you ever need a break, or a place to stay, you should come around our block." _We'll help you_ , she wants to say. "I'm sure Yume would love to see you two more than once a week."

The mother's gaze is shunted before Ms. Eguchi can finish. "Thank you, but I don't think we have any time at the moment."

Ms. Eguchi bites back a sigh and nods. "Well, if you ever want lunch on a Sunday, I know a great café. My treat."

Ms. Sakamoto gives a strained smile. "Maybe someday."

(Yume overhears that and decides to start planting the seeds. A few words about lunch together, and Ryuji swears to persuade his mother)

;;;

Today was another of his mother's luncheons. Kimiko Kurusu nee Amamiya succeeded in her goal of becoming a high-society housewife, and Akira has to go along with his mother's lifestyle in order to get her attention. He's used to it, accepts this is how things are. Father works long hours in the government. Mother hosts gatherings and keeps everything in order. Father spends time with his family on holidays. Mother has luncheons for the other housewives on Sundays.

Father wanted a child.

Mother uses their son as a trophy.

That's how it is.

Today is different, though. Akira usually spends an hour or two sitting quietly, eating lunch with the ladies, and taking whatever praise Kimiko decides to throw at her trophy son. Today, he showed up and ate little. He left barely half an hour after he appeared.

Today, he's grabbed a lesser used phone and hid it in his room while his mother is distracted with her friends. The luncheon comes and goes, he does his homework and extra readings, and reads for fun, and _waits_.

Akira is good at waiting. Remembering the phone in his room and the phone number he's rewritten many times to hide in the desk corners only he knows of, Akira is patient all throughout the afternoon.

He calls Yume in the evening.

He can't explain the relief unknotting his chest as she does her custom greeting. It doesn't matter it's much too early for their usual chats, she still picked up. He doesn't have to vie for her attention, and he can't be jealous of the orange haired girl who stopped them from talking last night. He can't; the tinier girl has great tastes in television shows and is much friendlier than the other kids he's been forced to interact with. As long as they can still talk like this, he's happy.

Sometimes, Akira wonders why he doesn't _feel_ with others like he does when Yume and he talk. He takes the scraps attention his parents give him like he's starving. He smiles politely and does as told, yet others don't connect like Yume did. It is like there is a wall.

 _There was one with her, too_ , Akira reminds himself. The first time he saw her there was a cool wave of _potential,_ which faded behind the wall. She included him, though. Still does. And somewhere in the days they talked, something gave and let her through the wall blocking him from everyone. _Potential seen through_.

Five years old Akira Kurusu craves for more friendships like this.

* * *

May 9, 2005

Yume makes progress through the cabaret now that she has a map. What she doesn't make progress with is her… _level_.

Because that is a thing. There is a Stats Screen section of the Metaverse App. She found it completely by accident when she was hiding out in a safe room. It won't let her see anything else because it's corrupted, but she's apparently level one.

 _Not gud enough._

And, because Yume will do everything to avoid confrontation, she doesn't risk getting spotted by the shadow people. She's slowly becoming pro at stealth – it's been a week; she's _lucky_ not to have been caught yet – and she's probably the greatest vent duster to ever live. When the vents have dust, that is. She's a bit paranoid when some _don't_.

Point is: Yume's dodging all chances for experience points. Stupid videogame logic won't count all the times she's crouched and snuck around as points. She wants a high sneak skill already!

The girl pretends very hard that she isn't inside some weird fetish room as she snoops for clues. Alha is lead in the erotic dances going on on-stage. The dancer who was dragged off to learn this stuff is doing very well hiding in the background of the other dancers. Who knows how long that will last, though.

Yume finds an old map which must have been misplaced in between the pamphlets. She slips that into her backpack for later, and continues to search for something. Success comes minutes later; the next dates of real Alha's night job. Very hush hush and no online fingerprint. The illegal owners of the joint are either really smart or really paranoid. They would have gotten away with it for years.

However, Himura is their best supplier of desperate dancers. In here, the woman keeps track of everyone who studied under her. Yume just had to thoroughly search seven rooms to find her information.

 _Her sister would have found it in three._

Yume leaves the palace feeling very nostalgic, the pamphlet tucked securely in her bag. She thinks about looking into the information tonight before deciding, _Nah_. She needs to try and fix the stat's section of the app, lest she be forced to run around at level one forever.

;;;

Kotori makes a face but Yume _understands_. The once-woman had to make nice to her connections or else she'd lose them. Kotori clearly doesn't want to go over there, but she needs the gossip and fallback of the girls she's hung out with. Yume's not close enough to join in.

"I'll go be friendly to the others," Yume smirks a bit to the squinting girl. "It's _okay_."

"We'll talk after this," Kotori promises, going to stand beside the girls near the front.

Yume understands that too. No need to gather suspicion of the instructor. The girls who were in trouble together join up? That's a red flag for anyone watching.

Yume's not quite sure why Kotori's latched onto her, but she'll take any friends she can. Dancing hasn't lost its appeal but… _it's so much nicer doing it with people she knows_.

Yume twirls and thinks maybe one day she'll learn modern. Maybe there's a school club she can join when she's old enough.

Thoughts to chew on later.

* * *

May 10, 2005

"Sojiro?" Yume walks into the man's kitchen holding a book. "Can I borrow this?"

He blinks and raises an eyebrow. "Can you read that, Yume?"

"Some of it," she flips the large business textbook open and skims a bit. "I'm sure I can look up the words I don't know."

He hums and flips the pancakes. "How about we read it in the mornings, so you can ask when you don't know a word."

Yume doesn't admit her breath catches before she swallows her flare of excitement. It's been a week of these morning breakfasts and afternoon dinners with Sojiro. However, reading with him so she can ask questions and learn the words is very different from listening to Akira read out loud for practice. Sojiro's offer is a bit too much like what she'd expect of a _parent_.

She can't afford to turn away the offer. Her only hesitation is that it's edging on _familial_ territory, and she's not ready for that. "Hai, please! Can we start now?"

He smirks. "After breakfast."

Maybe this will keep the meals from being prolonged silences.

;;;

"Miwa," Yume frowns as she hovers with the Haru and Kotori.

"I'm fine," the older girl laughs off their worry. It's not reassuring, as she's in the dance school's nurse's office. "It's just a small twist. Some ice and I'll be good to dance by tomorrow!"

"If you say so," Kotori sniffs, irritated. "Stay off your feet. Don't let it turn into anything serious."

"Ugh," Miwa flops back on the bed. "Hear that, Haru? I'm being lectured by my students."

"Get well soon, senpai," Yume says so seriously that the other girls crack up into giggles. The smallest smirks a bit and leans into Kotori.

"We do have to go back," Kotori sighs. "You better not get injured too, Haru."

"I'll try my best," the girl giggles silently, hair bouncing to give her away.

"See you after class!" Yume cheers, waving. "I'll carry you to your car, so don't leave without us."

They think she's kidding.

Little Yume gets Miwa on her back and runs the whole way just to prove them wrong.

* * *

May 11, 2005

"I'm so glad you came today," Ryuji groans, dragging Yume towards a bunch of kids. "We've been booted to the side 'cause the older guys want to practice on the field."

The blatant favouritism is gross.

"So, what are you guys doing now?" Yume asks, looking around at the girls and boys just kicking dirt and looking lost.

"We could do races?" Ryuji suggests.

A couple kids make faces so Yume thinks fast. "How about those who don't want to race be the start line and finish line watchers?"

There are some explanations on what to do, and within ten minutes they have a mini race group set up. First are the runners; Yume ends up around mid-pack with Ryuji. Then they switch for fun races; hopping, skipping, backwards jogging. Some kids a few years older have a cartwheels contest. It's a fun morning, and by the end Yume knows everyone's name and is known as more than 'Ryuji's friend'.

While being remembered is great, it also means more families to info-creep tonight.

;;;

The little blonde girl looks up from her dinner. She gasps excitedly and practically leaps from her seat, "Äiti!"

The girl's mother chuckles and picks her up, speaking Finnish, "Hello, Ann. How have you been?"

Ann Takamaki says string after string of words as he mother sits, Ann on her lap. Her mother pays close attention, memorizing everything said and noting what she can. She loves her daughter and wishes these moments would happen more often. The only thing to make this complete would be her husband, sitting and listening as they'd have a true family meal.

Speaking of, "We were thinking of having a summer vacation in London this year; just you, your father, and myself. What do you think, dear?"

Ann nods and stresses _yes she'd love that_.

Well, that was easy. Hopefully the dungeons they've been tasked to deal with will be just as simple.

* * *

May 12, 2005

Yume cuts through the park because she's determined to at least check in on the kid she gave cleats to. Even if by now he's likely forgotten her, he is the first one to trigger the strange, foreboding feelings. Making Thursday her supplies day is also a good way to check up on the shopkeepers. As long as she keeps being friendly – _memorable_ – there's a safety net in the neighborhood. If she goes missing, people will _see_ her go missing. No back allies if she can help it.

The boy sees her first. She knows this because he is watching her from his spot on the bench, and he doesn't look away when she glances. Yume smiles widely and breaks stride to wave.

He waves back.

He waves again when she's jogging back with her purchases. Yume has to initiate it, but _he does wave back_.

It's a start, maybe.

It's something that separates him further Yume's last-life's deceased older sister. She'll stop comparing them eventually. Maybe if she can break that cold, calculating look from his eyes. Or at the very least lose its edge.

After all, she doesn't know if the orphan boy has someone to pull him back from the brink.

(Not that it did her sister any good in the end.)

;;;

The whistle of a train echoes as she _burns_ the fake demons in the streets. Carmen sighs and plants a foot on the back of one of her little boy toys. With a snap of her fingers the flames flicker and die, leaving a lonely street for all to see. Everything is so weak. It's so _boring_. "Pixie, dear, have you found us an exit yet?"

Ishtar looks over from healing Lilium as the pocket-sized woman zooms down from the rooftops. Pixie buzzes just out of reach, shaking her head. "Whoever's dungeon this is, they're laying low."

" _Lovely_ ," Carmen drawls, lips pulling in a dainty sneer. She tosses her hair and looks over her shoulder to the other women. "Are either of you ready to trying forcing a way out? This steampunk is doing nothing good for the skin."

"Maybe a few more days," Ishtar says with a small shrug. "If nothing attacks us, of course."

"Don't look at me," Lilium says, flinching as she tries to roll her shoulder. "I'm out for at least today."

Carmen huffs but turns back to Pixie. There are always other things to take her annoyance out on, after all. "Where is the nearest shadow nest?"

"Up three blocks, turn left," Pixie replies with ease. "Want some eyes in the sky?"

"Thank you, hun," Carmen says with a smile that promises good times – for her at least. "I'll be back, ladies."

"Happy hunting!" Lilium cackles.

Steampunk-dungeon London really isn't the vacation they were hoping for.

* * *

May 13, 2005

"Hello," says the boy, and Yume's so shocked she gapes a little at him. "I don't know if you remember me, but you bought me cleats a while back."

That's a power move. He'll need to try harder; Yume can practically _smell_ underhandedness. Still, a good attempt. However, since he didn't say her name, it means she has the upper hand. "I remember." They _did_ wave at each other yesterday. "You're Mr. Akechi." His smile grows but his eyes spark with something _ticked off_. He isn't an 'employer' though, so the girl responds with a cheerful smile. "I'm Yume!"

"Yes," he nods, neutral. Like he didn't find her on a less-populated street after her dance class; him trying to throw a power move. Like he didn't forget her name. "What are you doing here, Yume?"

 _Alone_ is the word he leaves off. She just smiles disarmingly. "I could ask you the same thing!" She continues before he processes that enough to narrow his eyes. "I just finished dance classes and am heading home."

"Interesting," he nods. "May I walk with you?"

 _Try harder_. "How about you walk with me to the grocery store? It's a block away and I need to get some things for lunch tonight. I'll buy you something too, for keeping me company."

A neutral place. Doesn't tell him about where she lives. Let's him know she's left alone often. He nods seriously and then hesitantly holds out a hand, awkward. "Would you like me to carry your bag?"

That was a real offer. He's trying to be gentlemanly or someone's trained him to offer help to those smaller or helpless looking. As nice as it is, no way is she letting him hold her bag. An easy smile, "No thanks! I'm supposed to carry it around to build muscle. Thank you for the offer."

He's relieved, and a bit amused. "It's no trouble."

What follows is an hour of talking about nothing important, ending with him taking home enough for a small meal. She notices he starts to smile – small upturned lip corners – when her answers and babble tells him nothing important like his smooth and long-paused replies tell her nothing.

She doesn't notice his eyes sparking with interest, or the longing they hold when they say their goodbyes. She does make sure she isn't being followed home, but never once thinks he's waiting for _her_ to warm up to _him_. He's accepted her appearing in his life. So, he waits. Just having someone to talk to is good enough for now.

;;;

"My youngest will be staying in my apartment this coming week," Ms. Eguchi says during one of the rare dinners Yume has with her and not Sojiro. "Would you be alright dragging him around when you leave the building, just so I make sure he's getting out of the house?"

After Goro, Yume's on high alert for all double meanings; not that she isn't on a normal day. Normally she doesn't care. Ms. Eguchi's at least appealing to her child-self's need to feel accepted by taking a responsibility an adult offers. The girl's also warming up to the older woman again, since she's seen her more these past two week than she has in a month. Sojiro's made good on that promise and got the woman back for a few meals.

It wouldn't be hard to drag the youngest son out; Yume goes to dance six out of seven days a week. As long as he doesn't switch into the Metaverse beforehand, it should be alright. "I'll do it!"

"Thank you, Yume," Ms. Eguchi with a warm smile.

Yume's _real,_ returned smile makes her feel like she's glowing.

* * *

May 14, 2005

The blonde girl steps out of the doorway, taking in a deep breath of cold air. She closes her eyes and hums. The air's a bit more metallic but, "smells like home."

Alice opens her eyes as the door behind her slams shut, keeping her here in the Earth's unconscious. She gazes around the London-that-isn't and wonders if she can find a dungeon resembling home a bit more. She's feeling rather nostalgic, now that she's here. For all the fakes terrorizing the human's unconsciousness, the Room's owner is usually good about keeping shadow levels on the cusp of keeping the real demons _out_.

Mr. Butterfly's nice, but she's _so glad_ to not appear in Japan for once.

Well, she better get onto exploring. Her uncles won't be too happy she left home without telling them _again_. Not that the Jacks told on her last time. _No, they aren't_ – Alice giggles as she skips down the desolate street – _tattle tales_. So comes the debate: find and defeat a dungeon before her uncles realize she's missing or do some reminiscing in England while she can.

An explosion from inside one of the dungeon zones makes up her mind. Time to make sure she's not missing out.

;;;

Yume spends the night watching camera feeds.

It's one of the dates of the real Alha's night job. Yume's been in the system since before they started setting up. Alha does not look happy, dragging around chairs in an outfit that is in no-way work safe. Yume even recognizes the other person; who Metaverse-Himura told the woman to teach.

"Stay in the back," is Alha's command to the younger dancer. None of the others look surprised. Some even stick close, hiding the dancer from view of the cameras every now and then.

The night continues on. Yume makes note of every politician, boss, and shady character to enter. They probably won't get caught when the place eventually gets found out, but she can always keep making 'incentive' (blackmail) until she's ever faced with one of them. It's amazing how many ties the people in this city have to one another.

After seeing Himura's dungeon, the club is what she expects it to be.

The night continues on.

* * *

 **What – Has Happened, Will Happen, Or Won't Happen – Again:**

 _May 15, 20XX_

 _He's waiting out front of the art museum for Ann and Ryuji. He knows what's about to come (does he? (yes)) yet can't quite work up the excitement for it. He'll enjoy having Yusuke on the team again, and convincing the blue haired artist to join has_ by far _the most interesting series of events, but it's turning into a… flat run. This version of him cares less and less the more the year progresses._

 _It's not the first time it's happened –_ it's not the worst it's been _– but detachedness either leaves him with Mementos requests unfinished or an early death. He doesn't like the thought of either. And nothing ever really snaps him out of it; the only exception being-_

" _Hey, transfer student."_

 _-something new._

 _Akira looks over and wonders what he's done different for the Newspaper Club Member to approach. "Hello, what are you doing here?"_

 _Because really, he's never seen her outside of school. After the first dozen (or couple dozen) runs he stopped going to her for gossip. She says the same thing all the time. Did he see her this run? Oh, yah (to talk about the after-effect of Kamoshida's confession (but he didn't ask about it this time did he?) it's been too long to remember, but he knows they did talk)._

 _He picks up the unimpressed look she's thrown over her glasses just as she drawls, "The school newspaper always sends someone to these big events. We don't sell second-hand gossip."_

 _Akira raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"_

 _He can tell she holds back a sneer. "Yes. Though I guess I shouldn't have expected you to know. You're… new after all."_

 _Has he ever bought something from the school newspaper?_

 _(No, she's good enough for information.)_

 _((…what's her name again?))_

 _She glances over at something before he can retort. Then she's waving and walking away like she hasn't woken him up from the emotionless void he was falling into. "See you around, transfer student. Pick up a newspaper sometime; I always write an article."_

" _What's your name?" Akira asks for… ((the first time))._

" _Yasui Kotori," she says over her shoulder. "All my articles are under my first name."_

 _Akira thinks he might just buy a newspaper this run._

 _Or maybe he'll save it for when he gets detached again._

 _(The small changes with no impact to the bigger picture (are what he lives for now-a-days (why won't it end)))_

* * *

 **What Continues To Be:**

May 15, 2005

Tetsuya looks from person to person at the round table in the library. Starting tomorrow, the gathered have around a week to defeat the palace in the marine center. He's going to miss having his heavy hitter, his scout, and his main navigator. They can do this, though.

"Everyone ready?" Tetsuya asks.

Four teenagers give their positive.

"Then I'll see you all tomorrow," says Ace – _Tetsuya_ – the leader of the Phantom Theives.

Six-to-seven days. They can do this.

(After all, they've done it before)

* * *

 **A/N: In which there is a lot of foreshadowing but almost nothing gets done. Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! Yep, Yume just needs a little nudge to realize not everything is as it should be… The recital is coming up; though it sure feels like forever away. It is, um, Dream… kid!Yusuke just has a talent of making it sound like he's talking out loud and not to a person. I might be posting an AU drabble soon! Depends on how many spoilers I can keep out of it. Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Japan really does face a lot of craziness in the Persona world. The people who face the dangers are really strong though… I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, CureCaligraphy, for your review! Goro Akechi's alive, don't worry! His mother though… Yusuke is great; I can't wait to write more for him. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, A is for Anon, for your review! Thank you, I'll go back and fix it when I can! I'm so glad Akira has an actual tag (and that I remembered to update it whoops) instead of vague Protagonist; that made my day. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, RavenMichaelis, for your review! I'm glad to hear! Again, thank you so much, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Lexyfied, for your review! Haha, good things I hope. Thank you so much, it really means a lot to hear that. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, TouMikasa, for your review! I hope you're enjoying the story, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Back when I was guessing b-days for the game-plot Phantom Theives I was only a couple days off with most of them, but with Futaba it was a** _ **whole**_ _ **month**_ **. Just… so much to reconfigure… Anyways, happy a-day-off-from-being-a-month-late-birthday Futaba.**

 **Have a great March.**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Hello Mr. Eguchi," Yume says with an 'I'm-a-cute-small-child' smile. The man stares from his mother's apartment doorway and the small girl wonders if he has any clue that the girl left the building to finish exploring the main floor of her dance teacher's dungeon. Actually, when did he even arrive? "Your mother wants you to walk me to my dance classes."

"Right," the man blinks a few times and then runs back inside. She waits, shifting back and forth to make the floorboards creak. He hurriedly locks the door before throwing a smile her way. "Yume, right?"

"Right," she chirps to be annoying.

"I'm Hitoshi, and _just_ Hitoshi," he follows a step behind her. "Do I need to find you afterwards?"

"Nope," Yume shakes her head. "I stay around with some friends afterwards, so you don't need to worry, okay? I'm always late."

"Got'ca," he nods. "How were those books you bought back… wow, it was a couple weeks ago wasn't it?"

"Ee," Yume nods and shoulders her bag higher. They make small talk the whole way, and then Hitoshi just stops. "Are you alright?"

"Yah," he swallows and stares at the dance studio. Something runs through his head; she can practically see him thinking. Then he pulls out his phone. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to know a Himura Takara, would you?"

Yume nods slowly because _oh. Right_. "She's my dance instructor. She'll be in charge of all our classes now that we have to practice with every other group."

He doesn't seem to be listening, just hums and frowns at the phone.

 _I want to troll him_ , Yume thinks with a sudden realization of how _easy_ it would be to follow through as she wipes a sweaty hand on her pants. She still smiles, still looks okay, but her heart is beating too fast. Nerves, or is she scared? _Say it. Just don't get caught._

"Ee, we are practicing in the main Ballet Studio." His phone pings. Yume pretends not to notice his wide eyes as she rocks back and forth on her feet, looking over at the building entrance. "I think our final rehearsal is supposed to be in a Cabaret." He sucks in a breath as his phone pings again and sends him into the Metaverse. "Huh, so that's what it looks like."

Hitoshi blinks back into existence with a flail and Yume makes sure to take her time looking back at him. "Right?"

"Sure," is his automatic response. "Of course, whatever you say."

Wow he sucks at this.

Yume swallows her chuckle and flashes him a blinding smile. "Thanks! And thanks for walking with me. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure, Yume," he says, still distracted. "Tomorrow. Bye."

Yume rolls her eyes and meets Miwa at the front entrance. The older girl stares with her head tilted. "Who was that?"

"My neighbor's son," Yume replies smoothly. "He's training to be a magician."

"That was really cool," Miwa smiles and takes the lie easily. "Do you think he can show us how to do it?"

"Don't you know?" Yume smiles cheekily and pokes her own cheek. "A magician never reveals their secrets."

Now that she thinks about it, just what arcana types are the Phantom Thieves?

Looks like it will be another research night.

;;;

"I'm worried about the others too," Kayo says as a greeting, "but you don't see me leaving you twenty messages."

"What?" Hitoshi blanches. "I didn't mean- no. No it's about the ballet one."

"Oh?" Kayo stops packing up to grip the phone. She waves off her best friend with a 'one moment' sign. "What about it? Did you find some real information?"

"I know the key words for the palace," Hitoshi says in a rush. The woman just blinks and sits up straight in her cubical. "Takara Himura, Ballet Studio, Cabaret."

Kayo hums and writes it down. She tears off the paper and stuffs it in her pocket. "How'd you figure it out?"

"My mother's neighbor," he says with a pained noise. "We were talking and I asked her about her teacher with the app on."

"Did she say anything when you suddenly vanished?"

"I don't think she noticed," he answers honestly. "Please come over and check it with me tomorrow."

"Let's tell Mary and the Librarians first," Kayo answers calmly, gathering her things. She lists a time to pick him up, but is cut off.

"That's when I need to drop my neighbor off."

"I'll just come with you." She smiles at her friend, who urges her along. "Don't worry about it, Hitoshi, gees. Everything will be alright. Don't panic and I'll see you tomorrow where we can talk like adults and _not_ freak out."

He lets out a quick breath and shares a goodbye. Her friend stabs at the elevator when Kayo gets there. "Good scoop?"

"Just calming down Hitoshi," Kayo says, rolling her eyes.

Ichiko smirks, "It _does_ seem like everything is a world-ending crisis with him. Anything news-worthy this time?"

"Probably not," Kayo shrugs even as something in her foretells differently. "But with him…"

"Too bad it's your turn," Ichiko sighs and follows her friend into the elevator. "Maybe we can do a joint article with his next bit of trouble."

Kayo laughs. "I won't get you out of sports; face your punishment with a smile."

;;;

"Where were you?" Hitoshi all but demands when he opens the door for her and really, _what_? Yume slowly lowers her fist and blinks. "Well?"

"Hitoshi!" admonishes a woman from behind him. Yume wants to roll her eyes. Not even two days and he's already inviting people into his mother's apartment. "Hi there, hun. I'm Murakami Kayo."

"I'm Yume!" the girl smiles and is so careful not to flinch. And here she thought with the main part of the Phantom Thieves being out of town meant nothing would change until they came back – if anything would change at all. She never did figure out what arcana they each have, though she can rule out any patience ones for Hitoshi. She is a couple hours away from finishing the back half of the cabaret too. So close, yet so far. "I run in the mornings."

"Oh?" the woman tilts her head with a bit of a too-patient smile. "Whereabouts?"

"Around the neighborhood." Yume full-blasts the cuteness. "And I have breakfast with Mr. Sakura!" Not in that order, of course. "Are you coming with us today, Ms. Murakami?"

Ms. Murakami assures the girl she is and walks beside her, holding her hand as they go. Yume's not too sure about the contact, but it _is_ easier to lead the way. She could do without the twenty questions, and the inquisition that follows the openers. Kayo is _good_ at making her questions disarmingly sweet.

Yume's been at this longer, though. She plays child-like wonder, with all the hesitance of not liking a teacher but not wanting to say anything mean. Hopefully this buys her time to finish the cabaret's layout. She just needs the rest of the week. Friday and Saturday. Then she'll send the information to their phones, because she's _still_ level one and too afraid to be seen by the shadows.

And after yesterday, the dancers might not make it to the recital without serious incident. Three cases of tears and a case of minor dehydration is already too much.

;;;

"Oh fish sticks; are those tentacles?!"

"Well… we are in a marina-based palace."

"Saber, with me!"

"Um, how about _no_ , Ace."

"You two are the only ones with slicing weapons."

"Shut it, Bones!"

"I've got this."

"Poppy, what the- hey!"

"Now that's just gross."

"Hey, Ace, thanks for the new hockey stick! It works great!"

"Heh… er, right. Good job, Poppy."

"…Something you want to add, Wolf?"

"I'm good Saber. Just… there's a tentacle behind you-"

"GET IT OFF!"

* * *

 **A/N: Not the longest chapter, but things happen. Also, I've come to the decision that Anime Akira/Ren is like a puppy. He is both terrifying and delightful, and whoever hurts him needs a change of heart. Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! Updates are sneaky like that. I cannot wait to detail all of the characters; truth be told Ann's story wasn't supposed to come around until they reach middle school but whoops, she gets a side plot early. Poor timeloop!Akira probably won't notice the timeline shenanigans until they stare him in the face again. The Phantom Thieves are hanging in there… though Hitoshi is a little lost without a leader. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, CureCaligraphy, for your review! Ann's going to have a lot of fun in London. Summer is coming and I can't wait. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Akechi's definitely-probably working towards having a friend. He'll decide if the friendship thing is worth it when he has one. Yume's disappointed in the Persona-gamer lifestyle; all that sneaking and no experience, for shame. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! Glad to hear you are liking it! Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Have a great April**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

 _There are many signs that this is a dream, but Yume takes one look at the interrogation room and just_ knows _it's going to be another nightmare. She taps, first on the table and then on her unresponsive legs. The chair is at least slightly more comfortable than the reality version. Her other hand runs through blond locks and she waits._

 _Her dead sister walks in._

So it's going to be like this _, Yume thinks, resigned to wake up crying. Her older sister smiles, as if she knows. The blue eyes are filled with glee as she flips her shirt's collar, showing off rope-like bruising around her neck. Yume purposefully doesn't take her eyes away from the woman's face._

" _You know you miss me," her sister says, taking a seat across the table._

" _Always," Yume answers. "But we've been over this fight before, figment of my guilt. What do you want?"_

" _You always ruin my fun, sis," her sister pouts and Yume stops tapping. She laces her fingers instead, leaning back just to watch. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing me." Yume's eyes flick pointedly to the bruising. Imaginary sister smiles a bit more predatorily. "Like a hole in the head."_

 _Yume spasms at the direct blow to her psyche._

 _Imaginary sister flinches too. "Ouch, that hurt, huh? Can't say my death was any better."_

" _Had this fight before," Yume grounds out. "Any new material?"_

 _The slick smile comes back. "Actually… I'm curious why you keep doing it."_

" _It," Yume deadpans._

" _The researching… hinting…_ blackmailing _…" the dream does look curious. "You could have gotten out of the business. New life, new slate. But you didn't even have the decency to stick to legal habits."_

" _Would you have expected me to?" Yume smiles a bit with disbelief._

 _Her sister takes a very long blink before sighing. "No, I guess not. You can still cut out now, you know? The real Phantoms can't haunt you if you stay out of the other world."_

" _I'm not leaving Ryuji with an abusive father. Or Haru with a neglectful one."_

" _Because you love them," her sister taunts with a sigh. "Ryuji is replacing our little brother."_

" _No he's not," Yume say with enough vitriol it surprises her._

 _Her sister takes a long blink again, and nods. "Yah, he's not. I am glad you're making a family."_

 _Yume chokes up at that, gaze going to the rope bruises because that's easier than seeing the honest expression on her sister. "No, you're not."_

" _I'm jealous I can't be there, but you're better without me." Her sister's smile is honest even as Yume full-body flinches. "Why don't you stop doing illegal things?"_

 _Yume forces herself to meet the soul-searching blue gaze. "Why would I?"_

 _Her sister looks pleased. "You'll get caught."_

 _Yume looks around the room with fake nonchalance. "Nothing that hasn't happened before."_

" _But what if you get in trouble with the non-humans?" A pause. "Oh, did you_ forget _about them?"_

" _Keeping up my habits can stop_ _my_ _family from doing stupid things," Yume says with a firm, searching gaze._

 _Her sister looks amused. "I did thank you for that, in the end."_

" _I'll figure it out," Yume states. Her sister snorts. "I will."_

" _You better," the dream sighs._

" _As long as I don't use the information, there's no reason for me to be found out."_

" _And isn't that the worst truth of all," her sister smiles cruelly, reaching across the table to wipe Yume's cheek like she's wiping a tear. She fades into Yume's past-life mirror image, and Yume starts to panic when her skin starts peeling off. "All that information-" the hand slips to her forehead, "and one slip is all it takes to **burn**."_

Yume shoots up in bed, breathing hard and wiping at the tears on her cheeks. Then she hesitantly reaches up further and almost sighs at the feel of her smooth forehead.

"Just a dream," Yume says, and laughs a bit hysterically at the sound of her own name coming from her lips. She switches to Italian. "Just a dream." Then English. "Just a dream"

Then she starts getting ready to head over to Sojiro's. If it's a few hours early, well it isn't the first time she's caught the five o'clock morning anime.

;;;

"How do you like taking care of Yume?" Maki asks her youngest son while Yume's washing up in Leblanc's bathroom.

"I'm not really taking care of her," Hitoshi jokes, sipping his coffee. "She seems to have entire streets of vendors wrapped around her fingers, and they all give me the stink eye."

Ms. Eguchi chokes on her laugh, waving him off from helping. "I'm alright. That's good that they're still looking out for her."

"She knows some of the employees' birthdays," he thinks back to earlier today. "Should I be concerned?"

"She's just a child," Ms. Eguchi shrugs and pushes her food around. "She doesn't get any conversation at home, so I am glad she is getting it from somewhere."

There; her son finally picks up the hint. "Mother?"

The woman leans closer, whispering, "Her parents are never home and I haven't seen her babysitter in months."

Hitoshi pauses and then frowns. "Mother. I'm not getting into the middle of a family issue."

"Yume won't go to anyone with authority," Maki shrugs and wraps her hands around her coffee. "I don't know how much contact she has with her family, but she obviously hasn't told them since she is still left alone so often. Sojiro - you remember him - and I look after her when we can, but we'd both feel better if she had someone looking after her all the time. Preferably someone we know."

"I like what I do with my friends," Hitoshi says seriously and raises a hand when his mother tries to cut in. "I understand your hesitance. Trading artifacts won't make me rich, but I enjoy doing it. I don't have time to become a full-time caretaker for a child."

"Think about it," his mother says tightly. "If not for you, for your little sister."

He pauses, eyes wide. "Pardon, _little sister_?"

"I didn't give birth to her, but I've been taking care of Yume for months," Ms. Eguchi swallows her grimace at the time she's missing with Yume by caring for her grandchild. "With your goddaughter needing someone to be with her for another six months at least, Yume's been here all alone and it makes me _sick_ to think about what could have happened if Sojiro didn't check up on her so often."

"She goes to his house for breakfast," Hitoshi says out loud, thinking. "And he takes her for dinner sometimes. She told me."

"She got rain fever," Ms. Eguchi hisses, glaring holes in her coffee cup. Hitoshi doesn't get why. "You won't remember, but Jiro almost died when he got sick with it."

"That's why you always make sure we have umbrellas," Hitoshi mutters, gaze flicking over to the opening bathroom door. "I won't make any promises, mum, but I'll leave her with my number in case something happens."

"I'll give you her numbers, just in case." Maki switches to doting mother and helps Yume up into the booth. Hitoshi finally relaxes now she's not using the disappointed eyes on him. "Do you think you want some desert, Yume dear?"

Later that night, Hitoshi's heart skips a beat at the sight of his phone history having changed from an _unknown number_ to _one answered call_ from Yume's phone. The strangest part? It's not in his call history.

;;;

Instead of waving, Akechi motions Yume over to the open spot on the bench. "How are you?"

"Good, thank you," Yume smiles and lifts up onto the spot beside him. She can't wait to actually have _height_ one day. "How are you? Have you played yet today?"

"I am fine and yes," he replies, turning to fully face her. "It's my turn for a break. Do you like soccer?"

Yume makes an aborted shrugging motion. "I don't really like watching sports unless there is someone I support playing. I like all sports equally that way."

He makes an aborted smile, as if he found that funny but doesn't want to say he relates. "Will you stay and cheer me on when I go back in?"

 _A test;_ Yume can see that plan as day but his reddish-brown eyes flash with more hesitation than cold calculations. _Does he search for dedication or worth?_ Not one to disappoint, Yume smiles brightly and nods. "Ee! I will look forward to watching you play Mr. Akechi!"

The hesitation fades and he thanks her. They trade a few inconsequential questions, and then he's being called onto the field. He switches with a girl taller than him, who takes the emptied spot on the bench. Yume trades names with the older girl, but she doesn't take her eyes off the Goro, just like she told him.

After Yume cheers for a rather spectacular pass he made to a teammate, the older girl pipes up, "He's an orphan, you know?"

"Oh?" Yume says softly, fingers twitching as she resists the sudden urge to _ruin_ the girl next to her. Whatever happened to parents teaching their children subtly? Or, better yet, _manners_.

"Yes." Yume can hear the pout in the girl's voice. Probably because she just shared some intensely private information and Yume didn't take any attention away from Goro. "His mother killed herself." Wow, this kid doesn't give up. "A couple other orphans I know say he isn't nice. That he likes being alone. You shouldn't be around him."

Yume never thought she'd miss the sugar coated words of rich women with poisoned knives.

The reincarnated lady smiles brightly and cheers when Goro steals the ball back. He flashes her a quick look and then focuses back on the game. "Listen," Yume sings the other girl's first name as impolitely as she can. "Your advice has been heard and discarded. I don't care what your problem with Goro is, but if you're one of the reasons he hasn't been played often by the coaches, _we're_ going to have a problem." Because Yume _can_ spot a lie. This is the first time the boy's been in the scrimmage all day.

The other girl fumes but stays silent. When she's called back on the field, she hisses out, "I hope he tears you apart," before subbing in with a tight smile.

 _These kids aren't even worth it_. Yume huffs and settles down on the bench. She exchanges names with the boy who settled beside her, and the rest of the match is silent with her cheering scattered throughout. _Ryuji's group has bonded over their dislike of the coaches' favouritism. These kids over their dislike of Goro._

The kid is ostracized. He is rarely passed the ball, so the coaches put him as defender more than not. He's good at getting the ball, which just makes the other team gang up on him and his fellow defender stays away. It's very worrying to see. From her outsider perspective, it doesn't make sense. He's quiet, doesn't get physical, and tries his hardest to play on a team.

 _Maybe he just doesn't click_ , Yume ponders as she cheers for him. _Or maybe kids are just cruel_.

Unfortunately, it's probably a mixture of both.

"Thank you for staying, Yume," he says out of breath during their water break. He is tense, because he knows she will run off now to continue her route and leave him benched once again.

Yume knows it too, but she really must get a few things before going home for a quick nap to keep up her awful sleep schedule. So, she looks as kindly as she can when she tilts her head and smiles a little. "Can I come watch you next week?"

His hand tightens around the water bottle but his small smile is real. "I would be delighted if you would."

"Then I will!" Yume chirps, rocking on her feet in real-looking excitement. His answer is implied; another test. Even if the coaches try to tell her away, she will come because he isn't opposed to the idea. Her answer shows him her priorities. "Thank you for the entertainment, and I hope you have a great week, Mr. Akechi!"

He doesn't pick up on everything she doesn't say, but he notices the main one. _I supported you today_.

 _That you did_ , his searching look says. He doesn't know the extent, but it's enough. "You too, Yume."

The 'I expect you here next week' is implied.

;;;

"So this is Himura's palace," says a man in a black toga. He hums and lifts his mask - careful of the leaf-like crown design - to see the expansive dungeon better.

"I am not going to like combing through this place," says the woman in a plain blue t-shirt and black pants. "Navi? Do you have an initial read?"

"Sorry, y'all," says the voice in the earpieces. "There are a couple entrances, but all the doors from there seem locked. If you want to risk getting a map…?"

"Not today," the woman sighs and shakes her head. "Spike, are you- Spike?"

"What?" he hums, glancing up from his phone with a frown. "River, what do you make of this?"

She steps to his side and looks down. "Your Metaverse history? What are you looking at that for?"

He points to a line of digits. "Do you remember when I got a phone call in a safe room?"

"Not really?" River steps back to glance at his pained face before the mask covers most of his face. "Oh, wait! The day your goddaughter was born?"

"Yes," he sighs and clicks on the phone number. "We've only ever gotten calls from one another in the Library, but we never really questioned it."

"Why bring this up now?" River questions, crossing her arms. "Did you figure out who it was who called you? Some kind of Fortune arcana or something?"

Spike frowns and flips his phone out so she can read it. "I forgot about it, until I realized Yume and I have never chatted on the phone even though her contacts say I answered her call once."

"Yume," River cuts off and stares hard at the name now filled in the details of the call. "You mean the little girl?"

Hitoshi nods. They process it in silence.

"Does anyone mind filling me in?" Navi harps, breaking them out of their silent horror.

Because the small girl is the one to say the code words.

And she apparently phoned Hitoshi.

All of which sums up to one big coincidence… or she knows about the Metaverse. And when you're a Phantom Thief, _there is no such thing as coincidence_.

;;;

Sojiro and Yume finish reading the first chapter of the business book and he promptly starts quizzing her.

"Whoa, that sounds advanced," Hitoshi says, stopping by their table at Leblanc. "What happened to teaching kids to count before starting the stock exchange?"

"She can do it," Sojiro shrugs off the other man's incredulous tone while Yume beams. "Considering whom her parents are, it really shouldn't be a surprise."

"I practise lots," Yume says cutely. Sojiro catches her disarming cheek and rolls his eyes.

Hitoshi shrugs it off and pulls out his phone. "My mother said I should give you my phone number, for emergencies. She gave me yours so… can I have your phone?"

"Ee!" Yume nods and digs it out of her backpack and hands it over. She can't pick up why he lied, and he seems surprised when he's inserting his contact. "Thank you!"

"Do you phone people often, Yume," he wonders, rocking on his feet as he stares her down. As if he's waiting for… something.

"Iie," she shakes her head. "I use my home phone for everything because my tiny phone only has one hundred minutes of use."

He… doesn't know she's used some minutes on her phone, does he? She called him once, but the Metaverse doesn't track those kinds of things. Not like the real world.

 _It's only something if you make it something_ , Yume reminds herself and small talks him away.

"We'll start chapter two tomorrow," Sojiro tells her as they get ready to leave.

Yume smiles and resists checking the Metaverse now that she's alone in her apartment. _It's only something if you make it something._

Everything is going to be fine.

;;;

"Main treasure location: check. Treasure _chests_ : check. All safe room locations: yep. Anything else?"

"All the jewels we can carry, done."

"Nice."

"Alright, I guess all we need to do now is send the notice."

"I'll let Navi know when."

"We'll even have a whole day to spare! Look at us go!"

Yet somehow, Ace is pretty sure this isn't the last event they'll have to deal with this month.

* * *

 **A/N: I wrote my last finals and then finished this chapter. Anyone see any of these reveals/foreshadows coming? Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! He does mean well, and Yume taught him a valuable lesson about whipping out the app in public. The hurt's going to be a thing… but eventually things get better (eventually). Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! She'll be the small, unassuming one they never see coming for sure. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, starfish, for your review! He'll definitely need some practice to negate her trolling tactics. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for reviewing!**

 **Have a great April**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Yume is finally, _finally_ , finished going through Madam Himura's dungeon. Every single unlocked room has been checked and all vents traversed through. Sure, any _normal_ four year old would be let with a lot of questions about _the things she can't un-see_ , but Yume is mature and tough and sneaky - and still level one. Plus side to the hours she spend fixing the code of the app means she now has inventory space. Her phone is bubble wrapped and tucked into her empty backpack, but everything else is magically in a pocket dimension inside her phone. A pocket dimension that's divided into _sections_.

Yume prefers not to think too deeply about the physics behind it all. Especially when earlier in the day she accidently knocked over this awful vase and now she has _broken cane bits_ in her 'Treasures' tab. Not thinking about it for the win.

However, now in the final room – an empty, musical auditorium – Yume is sitting on the back of a seat, pouting at a glowing, hovering orb that doesn't do anything. This obviously means _Something Important_ to the dungeon, but walking up to it didn't trigger anything. She's now trying her hand at waving her phone at it.

Nope _. Nada. Nothing._

With a sigh and the sound of footsteps approaching the door, Yume brings up the safe rooms tab. She scrolls down to the first one she found; there were vases around there that she can dig through to see if finding more broken cane bits can give her something. A click and Yume's out of there just as soon as Madam Himura storms into the room to see who's messing with her treasure.

Yume blinks up at the masked people chilling in the safe room.

The two people blink back.

With a strangled sound Yume presses down and enter and appears in her living room. She collapses on the ground, removing the scarf from her mouth so she feels like she can breathe again. It takes another ten minutes before she remembers to exit the Metaverse and another dozen before she's methodically hidden everything she wore today in separate, very hard to find places. The only thing she keeps out is her phone and, after a _long_ pep talk, she's thoroughly convinced herself there is no way they would know it's her. Her hair is always tied back so none of the red shows through and her face was obscured by the scarf.

She does, however, prepare a ton of information against Hitoshi that can be sent out at a push of a button. Clicking enter on her phone will throw him under the bus for things he probably wasn't involved with – wrong place wrong time situations – as well as bring attention to his ability to pay rent without actually having a job; among other things of course. Yume remembers his questions yesterday, and all she needs is enough blackmail to keep whoever comes to her door – if they come at all – quiet.

"I can handle this," Yume mutters, hugging a pillow to her chest as she waits. She lifts the remote and turns the television on. Something about an aquarium or something is on the news. She flips it to a child-friendly station.

It takes a minimum of fifteen minutes to get to or from Yume's apartment and the dance studio; that's if someone's rushing. The knock on her door comes forty-five minutes after she ditched the masked people. Yume hops off the couch and makes a show of yelling, "Who is it?"

"It's Hitoshi and Kayo," is the reply because of course it is.

Yume unlocks the door and opens it for them with a bright smile. "Hi Hitoshi! Hi Ms. Murakami! How are you today?"

They look a bit confused to see her, but Ms. Murakami smiles and bends down to Yume's height. "I'm doing well today, thank you Yume. Do you mind if we come in?"

"It's okay!" Yume chirps and opens the door. She locks it and wanders into the living room to see them discreetly searching – well, Ms. Murakami is being discreet about it – around. Ever the hostess, "Would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you, Yume," Ms. Murakami says, smiling a bit forcedly. "Would you mind if we sat down?"

"Iie!" Yume shakes her head and pulls a chair from the kitchen so she can face both of them on the couch. "What did you need?"

"What do you know about the Metaverse?" Hitoshi asks. Ms. Murakami hisses at him and he just gives her a confused look. "That's why we're here."

"I'm sorry," Yume hesitantly raises a hand. "What's a Met-a-ver-se?"

"We know you were there, Yume," Ms. Murakami apparently decides to cut the small talk as well. Yume's acting is on-par though. "We just want to know what you were doing there."

"Eh?" Yume goes for the slightly-scared-but-honestly-confused frown. "I've been here most of the day, Ms. Murakami. I went out for a very short run because we're doing extra-long sessions today in dance class."

"See, that's very believable." Especially when Yume shifts to the you-don't-believe-me-and-I'm-actually-crushed-by-it face. "And I'm not calling you a lair, but the Metaverse is a dangerous place and you shouldn't be wandering around in it."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Yume sniffs a bit and wipes her eyes. Hitoshi's at least uncomfortable by the crying.

Ms. Murakami takes a pause to look between Hitoshi and Yume. Then she smiles at the girl. "What if we promise to deal with Himura? And we can find a way to get people off your back about your missing babysitter."

 _Well now._ Yume sniffs a bit more and gives a hopeful look. She hopes her eyebrows didn't twitch at her interest. "You can make Madame Himura stop being mean to us?"

"And make it so you have legal guardian permission to do things you want," Ms. Murakami raises a single eyebrow, ignoring Hitoshi's mutter of 'we can do that?'. Yume's a slight bit jealous. "You are going to have to think about school in the coming years. Without a guardian around, you won't be able to do any fun things with your classmates."

 _Lady, please_ , Yume scoffs in her head. She wipes her eyes and sniffles while wondering just what this woman's playing at. "I want to have fun with my friends."

"Then how about this," Ms. Murakami soothes with a charming, friendly reporter smile. "We make Hitoshi your legal guardian and make Himura stop being mean to everyone, and in exchange you tell us how you ended up in the Metaverse."

Yume puts on the act for a few more seconds. It's actually a rather good deal. This way she doesn't need to keep forging her guardian's signature, and she can keep up-to-date with the ongoing main characters. Maybe she'll finally find out where Mementos is. _Alright_. She can play this game.

Yume sits up straight, arms crossing and legs swinging as she stares coolly at Ms. Murakami. The shift obviously shocks the adults, but that's a plus in her court. "I accept." And if they don't hold up their end, she can always ruin them. After all, who would believe _sweet, little Yume_ is actually a diabolical exploiter when she wants to be. "I downloaded the app on my phone and have been entering the Metaverse via it. Now, what do you need to stop Himura?"

"Oh, wow," Ms. Murakami says with both shock and impressed disbelief. "You really had me going there. How long have you had that act?"

"It's not really an act," Yume says with an easy shrug. Both women ignore Hitoshi's innocent-puppy confusion. "We're talking shop, though. This is serious business, and so must be treated as such. I'll get the forms and forge my parents' signatures so Hitoshi becomes my legal guardian, don't worry about that. What I want to know is how soon you can rid of Himura."

"Well, we'll have to wait for our team to get back, and then we'll have to get the layout-"

"Done," Yume cuts in. "Just let me know who I have to send the file too."

" _Done_ ," Hitoshi repeats. " _Done_. You've already finished entire dungeon?"

"Just this morning." Yume raises her eyebrows at their disbelieving expressions. "What? I've had a lot of free time."

"I'll say," Ms. Murakami laughs sharply.

"I have to know," Hitoshi draws out his words, frowning. "Do you have a Persona?"

"Iie," Yume shakes her head. "Got a message saying I was locked from having one."

"That's okay," Ms. Murakami says with an almost excited smile. "I don't have one either."

Well, the morning is full of interesting tidbits. "Why's that?"

"I didn't meet the requirements. My social link started in the real world and I didn't previously have a Persona, so I got the notice I wouldn't be able to get one once I entered the Metaverse again."

"Really?" Yin tilts her head in thought. "So arcana have requirements, huh?"

"You know about social links," Hitoshi says flatly. Ms. Murakami's eyes widen as she realizes that too. "You know about Persona's and the Metaverse. You said you downloaded the app onto your phone?"

"Ee," Yume nods. She goes for cutesy. "I tried to research, _buuut_ there wasn't anything online. You being my babysitter will really help, Hitoshi!"

"You're not going back in," Ms. Murakami says with a sharp laugh. Yume's sharp smile could cut glass and clearly throws the woman for a loop. "Yume, it's extremely dangerous in there. You could get killed."

"That's why Mr. Eguchi will be here," Yume says patiently. "If I don't get help, I'm likely to die. Ms. Murakami, you can't do anything to stop me from going in there. I have friends whose parents and teachers need a smack-down in the other world. Your best choice would be to roll with it. I get help, or I continue to explore alone."

"Seems fair," Hitoshi nods. He gets yelled at by his friend. "Kayo, I really don't see the problem."

"We were almost killed last year!"

"And she's scouted an entire dungeon by herself." He turns to the girl with the vaguely interested expression. "I think we should give her some credit. How often do I need to be here?"

"Oh?" Yume smiles sweetly. "Honestly, you could probably never come and I'd be fine. It's just easier to have legal documents. Forging signatures is a pain."

He nods like he understands. Poor guy, he has no idea. Making sure the payments for dance lessons were in order was a nightmare and a half. "Do you have space for me to live here?"

"Guest room," Yume answers. "My room's off-limits and you can't talk about the things I do online."

"Fair enough." He probably thinks she means paying bills. _Sucker_. "I want to know when you go off by yourself, whether it's for runs or playdates or the Metaverse."

"Easy," Yume's smile is a bit real. "It will be like having a real guardian."

"You'll be good practice for my goddaughter." He frowns when the smile is wiped from the girl's face. Yume's not upset she's the extra, even now. _No, of course not_. "Also, I have full rights to leave you at the Library when I'm off doing my job."

"When you're fighting monsters?" Yume says dryly. "I think I'll be better off doing my own thing in the Metaverse or, you know, sleeping." He works late a lot. Ms. Eguchi complains about it still.

"It's not a normal library," Ms. Murakami speaks up. She's still obviously weary about letting a child run around a dangerous other-world filled with creepy and disturbing distortions. That's fair. She has no control over said child, though. " _The Library_ is a building that holds archives for all things Persona users may need. It's a Building with a capital B."

"What about rooms?"

"Those are run by the Others," Ms. Murakami looks at her curiously. "Buildings are run by humans, normally past Persona users. Have you seen a Room?"

"No, just something I overheard once."

"I wonder what arcana you are," Hitoshi hums. "I guess we don't have time to get you tested today."

"Bring her to the Library tomorrow," Ms. Murakami says, calculating eyes on the girl. "The others should be done by tonight, and we have time while they aren't here. What say you, Yume? Want to meet the Librarians tomorrow?"

"Can I read in the library?"

They laugh at that, tension fading as they assume her another tiny bookworm. "Of course. Will nine o'clock in the morning be too early?"

"Nope." She'll be up much earlier anyway. "I need to be back by noon, though." A strict sleep schedule to keep.

"That will work," Ms. Murakami hums as she gets to her feet. She forces Hitoshi to stay seated. "We need to keep an eye on the news tomorrow anyway. I'm going to go now. Why don't you and Hitoshi get to know one another better?"

It's not a suggestion.

Yume keeps up the sweet act until the door's shut and locked. She grabs the spare key and holds it out to the man with a serious face. "Nothing you see me do leaves this apartment. It's better if you claim plausible deniability for everything." At his dazed and hurt-puppy look she leans forward and forces the key into his hand. "I won't tell your mother about the Metaverse if you don't."

"Deal."

The start of a beautiful friendship.

;;;

"I want to teach you to dance," Akira declares quietly that night with a sweet intensity that could rot teeth. Yume feels something _dig_ into her chest and warm her. Her shoulders loosen and she hugs her knees closer while the warmth promises to relax her with safety _if she just agrees_.

"What type?" Yume asks instead.

"Everything," Akira says and she knows he isn't focused on the conversation. It's in his tone; dreamy and far away, like he's imagining a goal he knows won't be completed soon. "Ballroom, street, freestyle. Everything."

"There're a lot of different types in those," Yume says with a fond smile in her voice. "And I'm already learning ballet."

"Waltz and tango first," he says earnestly. "I'm learning those now."

That sounds amazing, but she doesn't want their friendship to be based on him teaching her. "What brought this on?"

He pauses for a long moment. "There is someone in my class who looks like you do when dancing." She hums neutrally when he pauses. "I asked her why and she said dancing is her life. I want to be part of your life."

"You already are," Yume replies easily. "Every time you phone you make me smile. You care to remember me, and that makes me happier than dancing ever could."

He sucks in a heavy breath. "I still want to teach you something."

"Then teach me classic literature. I know you enjoy it. Then I can stay a part of your life too."

"You're my best friend," he says and there's shuffling on the other side. More definite, he tells her, "You need more classics in your life."

Yume laughs, smile hurting it's so wide. "You'll be sure to tell me the good ones, right Akira?"

The warmth in her chest tightens possessively as his easy answer comes, "Of course, Yume."

If she ignores it, she can almost pretend it isn't the stronger version of what she feels when entering the Metaverse. Why it even happens now of all times, she doesn't know. Like many strange events, Yume pretends it isn't happening and will continue to ignore until she has time or it smacks her in the face.

She really hopes this won't smack her in the face. She likes being friends with Akira.

;;;

" _Aaaand_ , clear." Mary hums and presses Enter. "No trace left."

"Thanks, Navi," comes the tired voice of the leader. "I really appreciate it. Now, try to get some sleep."

"Aww, Tetsuya…"

"It won't happen tonight. Look for it around noon."

"Fine, spoilsport."

"I won't sell the treasure before you see it."

"That wasn't what I was talking about but okay. Night night!"

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry this wasn't the biggest meeting it could have been. I've rewritten this chapter four times and just had to stop with this one or the plot would never move forward. I hope it's at least found interesting… (In a completely unrelated note, Persona 5: Dancing Star Night comes out this month). Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! Poor Yume, it all falls because of a phone call. Sojiro's happy someone's interested in his old textbooks hahaha. Thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, xxMockingbirdxxx, for your review! It's hinted a bit, but hasn't been revealed why there are Phantom Thieves now. So far all that's implied is that Morgana didn't just come up with the name on the spot… I hope this helps. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for your review!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! Yume definitely needs to cover her tracks better, but she's recovering well so far. Now she just has to convince the other Persona users to let her continue in the Metaverse… Yume's definitely thinking a bit too advance when facing Akechi. He may just surprise her when he eases off the defensive. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! If she never gets her level up, maybe she'll get an achievement for defeating a dungeon! Or she'll struggle. Hopefully she'll learn something next chapter. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for your review!**

 **Thank you, InnocentSerenade, for your review! Yume's going to need a little more skill to work this situation in her favour. Maybe should have kept claiming deniability… Sojiro tells Ms. Eguchi on the side, though she's had suspicions for months. It's alright to not have picked it up, Sojiro is sneaky when he wants to be. Absolutely agree, I wanted to put in Akira last chapter but it felt better for a few future chapters. Thank you so much for your review and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, MorteSangriz, for your review! Akechi will probably be grateful, if he ever realizes he's got someone's support. One day. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, starfish, for your review! Very good guess, though it took them a while to corner her. Thank you so much for your review! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, gost, for your reviews! Here's hoping the conversation was at least somewhere near expectation; she's still got some smooth talking to do though. I really appreciate hearing that. Thank you so much for your reviews, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Have a great May**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

"It's good you two are getting along," Sojiro comments that morning with a flash of… relief? Yes, that was definitely relief. He's back to bored and unaffected but it makes Yume wonder what that's all about. Did he really think Yume wouldn't try to get along with Ms. Eguchi's youngest son?

…That's a fair conclusion.

"Do you recommend any books?" Yume asks after she's finished breakfast.

"I can write you a list," he hums thoughtfully. "But you'll have to get Hitoshi to take out the books for you. You can't get your library card without a guardian's permission."

Yume blinks. How coincidental he brings that up. The girl eyes the man suspiciously. Sojiro only raises an eyebrow when he catches her. He couldn't be conspiring to give Hitoshi a real job and her an approved baby-sitter, right? Sojiro isn't sneaky enough for that.

The man's phone rings and he sighs, putting down the pen and sliding a half-done sheet to her. Yume starts to read over the choices while he answers. It's a varied range from books Sojiro's mentioned Futaba loves reading to hypothetical government philosophies. The latter even has one labelled 'What to look for in an Aspiring Dictator'.

"Fine," Sojiro snaps and hangs up.

Yume dutifully plays the curious child. "Who was that?"

"Work." Sojiro takes her plate. "I'm going to be looking in on those mysterious building fires until the department's got enough people back from sick leave. They pulled my name out of a _hat_ , if you can believe it."

There's an address on her tongue and the name of a crime syndicate in the back of her mind. However, little kids wouldn't know their legal guardian's address after months without contact. Civilian kids wouldn't know that only one of the fires wasn't done by the arsonist. It's just bad luck the police chose that case to focus on. Now that Sojiro is involved, no matter how temporary, she'll have to look to around and see who's moved from lighting matches to burning down apartments.

Then she'll have to decide who to give the information to. Leave a few hints for the police to find the person. Or maybe data dump on the syndicates who lost people to the fires. It's not like she's being paid for information anymore.

It's not like her babysitter remembered anything about her life in Tokyo after the car accident. She was moved from the hospital to her home town long before the fire. Her parents signed away the place for her. Nobody lived there, and then it burned down so it doesn't matter.

It. Doesn't. Matter.

The address on her tongue gets swallowed and Yume puts on a show about how she hopes Sojiro won't miss these breakfasts with her. "Be safe, Sojiro."

"You too, kid."

Yume smiles and greets Hitoshi when the man arrives at her door. He helps her lock up, and after a 'thank you' their walk is silent. The girl's forgotten how nice it is to be silent with company around. When Ms. Murakami drives around to pick them up, Yume is all smiles and comments once again. Hitoshi watches her, but only says a few words himself. Yume ' _learns'_ that Ms. Murakami is a journalist. The woman knows _'all the scoop'_ around town.

What is interesting is how the journalist and Hitoshi met their current leader.

"Hitoshi was around when King was in charge of the area," Ms. Murakami says, apparently not noticing Hitoshi's wince. "I came after he vanished; there were three of us at the time. Then Nani left, leaving Hitoshi and myself to oversee the whole of Tokyo. Without the Library, I don't think we could have kept at it. We met Ace about a year ago, maybe a year and a half ago? He started to recruit members and now the streets of Tokyo are as safe as ever."

That's a lie and tells Yume nothing. If she really had been a four-year-old, that 'explanation' might have awed her. Hitoshi says nothing, just watches the world pass outside while his eyes are glued to hers in the side mirror. She wants to ask who King was, and more importantly what happened to him.

Yume smiles and instead tells Ms. Murakami, "Thank you for all the help."

 _But not for what you think._

They park outside an actual library. Yume's a bit disappointed, but she plays the adorable, "What is this place?" very well.

"This is _a_ library," Ms. Murakami says, holding a hand out and waiting for Yume to take it. "We have to go in. You see that sign over there?"

Yume hums at the upside-down V plastered against a red T. She curious why a well-known videogame company is symbolized on there, but… _oh_. Oh fu- "Does that mean library?"

"No," Ms. Murakami laughs and leads her inside, Hitoshi trailing after them with an eye always on Yume. The smell of books is relaxing, but the old building has too many blind stops that the girl wouldn't want to come here unless necessary. "Atlantus owns and funds this place. If you see their symbol on a wall, you'll know it's a Building. The only way to access, though, is with your very own library card." She winks and holds out a purple card in her hand.

The two ladies they pass at the front desk look bored, but greet Ms. Murakami and Hitoshi as they pass. Neither looks down and Yume's too short so she manages to sneak by without a coo or small talk. Yume stares at every person they pass on the way to the staircase. She wonders which of these people work directly for Atlanus. How many know about the side business of the building? What are the chances the company head, Mr. Amano, started this as protection for Persona users? What are the chances they're all signing their life away for demons?

She's as relaxed as her smile is real.

(And squashing all hope someone in the company is reincarnated like she was.)

"Can you see the staircase?" Hitoshi relaxes when Yume gives a positive answer. "Good. Keep holding onto Kayo. Stand beside her on the third step; just like that. See you guys on the other side."

 _What?_

Ms. Murakami drops her card. It trails purple and Yume's so mesmerized by the sparkles she almost misses the way the world _bends_ and _flexes_ around them. Red shades over every colour and darkness flips like squares through the air. In a blink the squares overtake the world behind them while they face a large, pillared building that looks something out of ancient Greece.

"Come on," Ms. Murakami smiles and tugs the girl up the stairs they're on. "It's not fun being on the steps when someone else shows up." The card – The Star tarot card, though it was once the library card – is snatched from where it floats midair. She notices Yume's brain faltering at the blatant magic trick and lowers it to let her see. "Once we get you a library card, you can access this place anywhere. Without one, we had to go through the procedure to let you in."

"So cool," Yume breathes. "Why a tarot card?"

Hitoshi answers from where he appears on the third step from the bottom. "To match our arcana affiliation. The colour is your choice."

"Nice," the girl says and smiles simply while she's guided up to the large double doors. She might actually want a library card if it can do stuff like that. "What's with the outfit?"

"Those of us with Personas change outfits," Hitoshi says, running his hands self-consciously over the black toga. The spiked leather boots with long knifes on the side are a nice touch, and the detail of his mask to make it fold up and around his head life a laurel wreath is amazing. Spiked armguards are a bit overkill. What does that have to do with his personality? What does any of this? "You will need one if you are to continue coming. We use codenames here, as well. Tokyo's large population means there are too many reflections on this side of the world. The risk of others recognizing us as threats is too dangerous to walk around like smaller town users can."

"So, overpopulation means Persona users hide?"

"How do you even know that word?" Ms. Murakami asks.

"Yes," replies Hitoshi. "Living in a city reflects living with so many people. Living in the country reflects the isolation. There are a few exceptions, but those are better avoided."

The library really is a library, with shelves upon shelves of books and parchment and _everything_. The two receptionists in the half-circle desk across the room glance up, tilting their heads in time to take in the three. The two are both explosions of colour. The man is more showman or magician-like, while the woman is virgin sacrifice or priestess-like. They both wear masks. He has a bo staff, and her a cutlass. She has a slingshot. He has a handgun.

Yume stumbles, causing Hitoshi to take a half step in front of her so she can see the rifle on his back.

 _I'm not freaking out_ , Yume repeats the mantra to herself as her breathing gets shallow and the hand in Ms. Murakami's tightens. _It's just a gun._

(Critical hit.)

It's not something she hasn't seen before.

(Headshot.)

She pulls herself together by the time they reach the front desk, but knows she'll be having nightmares for weeks after that setback.

(There's a baby crying. _She's the baby_.)

"These are Chemist and Angel," Ms. Murakami introduces the receptionists. "They run the Library. Librarians, this is Yume. She's the one I told you about yesterday."

Chemist smiles politely while Angel narrows her eyes under her mask and leans over the desk to loom over Yume. "How did you get the app on your phone?"

"I downloaded it," Yume keeps smiling.

"Downloaded?" Chemist repeats faintly, frowning a hint.

"That's not possible," Angel gripes, reaching up to run her fingers under her beautifully braided auburn hair. "You can't just _download_ the Metaverse App onto your phone."

"I did." Off of her laptop, but explaining that might break them since computers aren't supposed to have the app accessed on them either. "How did you get it?"

"After we entered the Metaverse, it appeared automatically on our phones," says Chemist as the voice of reason. "If we get a new phone, we have to have someone bring us back in to activate it. Knowing it can be downloaded would make it easier, if you wouldn't mind showing us one day."

 _Yah, no way no how_. Yume shrugs and watches Angel scribble something down, cursing the fact she's too short to see what the woman writes. "I don't know. It just happened."

If one counts copying and pasting items as 'just happened'.

"Well… welcome to the library!" Chemist is all smiles while Angel walks off into one of the six back rooms. Ms. Murakami follows while Hitoshi bends down to Yume's level. After giving consent, he lifts her onto the table where Yume goes crossed-legged to turn fully to the man. Being this close to the guns makes her feel a little faint, but she's worked in more stressful situations. If she wonders why the notepad says 'downloaded', she doesn't ask. "Angel and I are here to help you live through your times in Metaverse. Whether you need a safe place, information, or anything's bothering you, we are here to help!"

"Can you put a stop to my dance teacher?" Yume asks quietly, eyes shifting to watch his answer.

Chemist's smile never falters. "We'll try."

"She has the entire palace laid out," Hitoshi says, looking down at her. "Show him your phone?"

Yume does, even pulling out the maps she's collected. Chemist falters a little bit before barking a laugh in awe. "Will you let me upload the map?"

"Can I watch?"

"Of course!"

Ms. Murakami and Angel come back when Yume's cooing over their preparedness and adding the treasure chests she found to their map with little online stickers. She missed technology being more advanced than 'teach you typing'. "So I wouldn't have triggered anything unlocking these chests?"

"No," Hitoshi says, leaning beside her to watch her match her notes with the digital map. "If you tried to force the locked ones open, it might have triggered something. I can teach you to make lockpicks."

"I'd like that. Thank you!"

"Think you could come over here, Yume?" Ms. Murakami calls from Angel's computer terminal. When Yume looks up with panicked eyes, she smiles indulgingly. "After you're finished, of course."

When she finishes with the men, Yume sits with her legs hanging over the edge beside the women. Angel has her put a heart monitor clip on her finger, spit into a cup, and put a pin-drop of blood on a glass slide.

"Can I have your full name?" Angel asks, bored. After typing out the answer, she asks about a colour for a library card and shows off a rainbow of colours.

"Black, please," Yume holds back drooling at the sleek black one. All the better to hide in a wallet.

"You've got it-" Angel cuts off when the machine scanning fluids and heart beat bleeps. Yume can't see the results, but it causes Ms. Murakami to look back like Yume is the best scoop of a lifetime and Angel to yell out, in English of all things, " _No f-ing way!_ "

"What?" Chemist slides over while Angel growls and has Yume spit into another cup and poked with another sterilized needle. "Oh, too bad. The machine was getting old, though. Sorry about the wait, Yume."

"It's… no problem?" the girl looks between Librarians confused.

"I think it's right," Ms. Murakami says, bouncing on her feet.

"That's impossible," Angel snaps.

"But think about it. She _downloaded the app_. It would be impossible under normal circumstances, but Yume didn't go into the other side before getting it. It would make sense why she doesn't have a Persona."

"If she's who Ace ran into…" Chemist mutters to himself.

"It isn't possible," Angel growls and slams the items into the machine she grabbed from the back with a bit more force then necessary. Yume's reaching and grabbing her phone is only noticed by Hitoshi, who moves to stand beside her while the others talk like she isn't here. Quietly, Yume clicks until she's a confirmation away from teleporting to her living room. The machine beeps, the adults read the result, and Angel throws her hands out. "That's a hack. She must have cheated the machine too!"

"She's four and doesn't know who to work our computers, never mind our expensive and reliable arcana checker," Chemist drawls with a small smile. "Congratulations, Yume. Your current Primary Arcana is the Fool, with a low Secondary Arcana of the Universe."

Yume blinks because they make that seem like a bad thing. "So that means…?"

"You're the first recorded female to be a Fool since the timeline corruption in the nineties," Angel grits out and flops into a rolling chair. "Not many people have Universe as a secondary, but it makes sense if you really are a Fool."

It actually doesn't make any sense but back up. "Timeline corruption?"

The Librarians share a look, while Hitoshi and Ms. Murakami are off to Yume's side as if they don't register this conversation. "When does a leap year happen?"

"If the year is a multiple of four," Yume replies. The Librarians look shocked, but it could be either because she knows what a leap year is or that Sojiro taught her the correct word for 'multiple'.

"Correct," Angel recovers the fastest. "Was there a leap year this year?"

"Ee."

Chemist asks, "What year is it?"

"Two-thousand fi-…" Yume trails off as her brain stabs with pain at the connection she makes. "2005… But that doesn't make sense."

"This world hasn't corrected itself, and may never correct itself," Chemist says softly. "No one's sure what happened exactly, but there's was a year which went missing in the nineties. From then on, a lot of things changed. Such as no females ever becoming Fools."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Yume asks, her panic forced into a small locked box to deal with the problems clearly.

"Two types of people have the ability to realign the timeline, even if it's just for a little while," Angel stares at Yume like the secrets of life are right in front of her. "The demons can, and I mean the real ones who live on the plane of existence far below the Metaverse. Their copies in this level can't do anything.

"Fools are known for their ability of change. There are many crossover powers between genders, but while males affect themselves and the bonds they form, a female Fool affects the world. In your case, you have the power to change the universe."

That's probably the scariest thing Yume's heard since waking up in this world.

"She's four," Ms. Murakami drawls. "No offence, Yume, but I don't think you need to worry about having so much power. Besides, your Secondary Arcana is always changing."

"That's true," Hitoshi says, grabbing the sheet of paper with her results from the Librarians to show the girl. "Your primary has a chance to change until you form a connection with a male Fool. It's so high here, it probably won't change without a lot of effort on your part. Your secondary is low enough it's probably just luck that Universe is a little bit higher."

"I wonder if it's because she's so young," Chemist mutters, writing down a few things.

Angel stands up and heads for the shelves. "The youngest so far was eight, correct?"

"I think so, yah."

"And Ace was looking for a Fool to pair with," Ms. Murakami hums, coming to Yume's other side to read the low percent of arcana numbers. "Our leader's a good guy. When he gets back, we can see if you'll link up. It may take time, but then this way you have a support system in the team if you need us."

"Okay," Yume responds a little faintly. It's a lot to take in, and she doesn't like how _special_ she's suddenly become. That's asking to have a tragic death or face extreme conflict later.

She is a Fool. Close to one-hundred percent of her personality and genetic makeup has her predisposed as a Fool. The World and the Universe are the only other traits with full numbers next to them, Hermit and Chariot tied for fourth place and everything in varying micro decimals after that. It may be because she's so young, but it's more likely because of who she is. She is Yume Ishii, but she was once someone else. The first Primary Fool with the ability to one-day screw with time as someone once did to corrupt the world. Powers she never wanted.

"When Angel comes back we'll show you the special mixture to have a mask and accessories stay on you while travelling," Ms. Murakami says excitedly. "It's really great. Maybe we can even find you a mask!"

"Okay."

"Keeping your identity a secret is important," Hitoshi speaks up from memorizing her chart.

"Don't you trust your teammates?" Yume frowns.

"We do, but it's better if there's no chance of accidently calling out your real name in the palaces. Things like that carry over into the real world and if our targets recognize us and decide to target _us_ in the real world, we are screwed."

Yume gets it. She wants a really cool codename, and almost debates using her hacker one from last life. Too many crossovers are dangerous, though. "So, what should I be called?"

"I'm River," says Ms. Murakami.

Hitoshi raises a hand. "Spike. For you though… _Ch_ _ī_ _sana_."

"I don't want to be called Tiny!"

"Have better manners, Spike," Ms. Murakami taunts. "Hmm… _Dans_ _ā_?"

Chemist makes a face. "I guess that would fit. Dancer. No offence though, but Yume doesn't look like a dancer."

"Hey!"

"I think _Sagi-shi_ ," Angel grumbles, setting down a large stack of books with a _thud_.

"Cheater?" Yume feels her face fall and doesn't even try to hold the shock from her voice. "But I don't cheat! I swear!" Not that they need to know that, but she cheats the world just by being.

"No, no that could work," Ms. Murakamibrightens. "We don't think you are cheating, Yume, but you are a um… a cheat code! Yes! You've found an entire palace layout, survived the Metaverse by yourself, and know ways to make deals!"

"You know how to get around problems." Hitoshi adds dryly, smiling.

"But Cheater's never win!" Yume protests.

"Sure they do," Angel scoffs. "It depends on how what you cheat at and how skilled you are. None of the Phantom Thieves would be able to get all the things they have without a little cheating every now and then."

"Thanks, Angel," Hitoshi drawls. "That truly means a lot. It's not like it's my life's work to fix all the supplies we gather."

"Which he wouldn't have gotten without stealing," Angel tells Yume. "But we're not calling you Stealer. That's stupid."

Like Cheater isn't. But they go along with it and now it's her official codename on her profile. Yume disproves on the inside, but she has more things to worry about than being called out on her worse habits from time to time. There is a lot of planning to be done at home.

"Let's get you a mask," Ms. Murakami smiles with Angel and they lead her to a backroom full of storage containers.

They don't stop at the mask, though. Yume gets a full list of recommended items for when she goes to traverse the other world. The women also present hairstyles that keep the red in her hair hidden. The less used to identify her, the better. Closed-toe shoes are a must, as are gloves but they can be fingerless as long as the dungeon isn't a forensic laboratory of sorts. If clothes are not tight, then they must be unable to catch on objects. Yume doesn't have the security of a loose-fitting Metaverse-Persona-Awakened outfit.

"Not everyone has masks," Angel says, pulling a book up beside the girl. Inside are pictures of headgear, face-paint, and everything in between. She flicks to 'J', and then to Tokyo, Japan. "Here in Tokyo, it is the public opinion that masks are what people hide behind, so that is why they come with the awakening. Do any of these styles fit your liking?"

Yume chooses a rather plain looking one. When Angel comes back with a box of unused masks, they spend another ten minutes going through and looking for one. Yume picks a black one, which will match well with one of her bandanas back home.

"Now, we'll show you the secret to making it stick."

An old, non-Persona user recipe. The items are a mix of Earth-found and Metaverse-found material, so if she wants to make her them Yume will have to get them herself. The only way to remove the sticky solution is to put water on it. So no water dungeons or intense crying while the mask in on, lest she lose it. Yume is perfectly fine with that deal. The mask is temple-to-temple width and forehead-to-nose height, the bottom corners swooping down to cover her cheekbones and most of her cheeks.

It doesn't come off, no matter how hard she pulls.

"Don't stretch your face," Ms. Murakami laughs and traces wet fingertips along the edges of the mask. It tingles a bit as the mixture dissolves against her skin, but there's nothing to prove it was there when she removes the mask. "Well, what do you think?"

Yume loves it. "This is _amazing!_ "

"Glad to hear," Angel smiles.

"We'll go through her stats tomorrow," Chemist says when they arrive back. He glances between Hitoshi and Ms. Murakami before sending a pleading glance towards his partner.

"Go through the weapons catalogue," Angel says, practically shoving the two away. " _This better not become common_ ," she mutters in Italian and Yume stills. Hearing song recordings is a lot different from hearing someone speak it. That was more nostalgic than anything, and she's already a mess. Hold it together and pretend it's not a balm on the soul. "We need to cover some safety things with Yume. You've already heard it, so shoo."

They sit her back on the counter and show her her own profile. No picture, but there are descriptions. Yume raises her eyebrows on a few things, but it's the 'Add to Compendium' button at the bottom that makes her wonder just _who's_ going to see this.

"We've put the security on your profile at the highest setting," Angel says quietly. "Normally we put it on moderate, so other Building employees can see who's where. This way, only us two Librarians and the corporate head for the Other World Division in Atlantus can see who you are. Fools are all protected, but you being female is going to raise a few flags. We may need to see you a few times this coming week for everything to get sorted, but Hitoshi will bring you if that's the case."

Or, Yume can find these alerts and halt them. She'll have a long night ahead of her, but thankfully tomorrow's Sunday. If this Compendium is part of what she thinks it is, then that's her work load cut by a fifth already. She nods along.

"Now, for the warnings," Chemist straightens his white hat and pushes back his red cape. Angel hands over the black librarian card that looks like the Fool tarot. "You must first come to us with your plans if you decide to enter the Metaverse. This is for your safety, because if you go missing we'll be the ones to alert the other App users so they search for you." Yume hears the buried hint. They'll be the ones to alert her family and friends if she's gone for good. "You can report in by phone call or text if you are going to be longer than planned. We won't phone you back or text you, because some missions are sensitive and we don't want to be the reason you can't come home."

"Other than that, training rooms and books are all here," Angel takes over. "You'll learn more as you come and go, but basic rules are: if the training room is free you can use it and you can't take out books."

"But it's a library?"

"Library, with a capital L," Angel stresses. "It's what's known as a Building, with a capital B. There are plenty of books if you want to learn more, but you'll have to read them here."

"Okay," Yume whispers, nodding. "Anything else?"

"You won't meet any real demons, but they can cross over from time to time," Chemist hums. "If you see one, get to a safe room as soon as possible."

" _You shouldn't tell her that_ ," Angel hisses in English.

" _I won't be responsible for a demon not connecting with her_ ," he hisses back. Still with that friendly smile, he talks to Yume not knowing she understood every word. "That's mostly it. Hitoshi can answer questions you have about how we'll test your stats tomorrow, but it's nothing to be worried about."

"Okay," Yume smiles and pretends she's not concerned about the possibility of forming a connection to a demon without a Persona. "Thank you very much for all the help!"

"I hope we'll see you often," Angel offers honestly. "Chemist and I don't leave the Library often, so someone will always be here when you show up."

Yume just smiles and nods and says her goodbyes. It's given her a lot to think about, but she takes the car ride home with a few books from the real library to question the adults on what tomorrow will bring. Strengths and weaknesses, they tell her. Everyone has at least one strength or weakness; it's all about their psyche. She'll face down attacks ranging from magic, to physicals, to projectiles.

"It's all mental," Hitoshi elaborates. "I actually have a strength against nuclear attacks. It's always interesting, figuring out what you should avoid and what demons you can face."

A part of the girl wonders if she'll have a strength or a weakness.

;;;

It's a simple message to all Phantom Thieves. The deadline has been reached with success. The palace ruler went back and the real person is breaking down about the horrible things they've done. Tomorrow, it should be all over the news about the animal abuse and black-market selling of the creatures.

Tetsuya reads a reply message about meeting someone when he gets back, and he sighs. The memories of why he is relieved aren't there, but he knows it is good news. Something good has happened; the person to meet is important to some future event. He's succeeded in a goal, even if he's unsure what's changed.

The memories of the coming month are kind-of a blur. Maybe he should check-in at the library to see what he wrote. Maybe once he's back from the school trip tomorrow.

All he knows is that Hitoshi's mother won't die next month and that's good enough for Tetsuya.

;;;

"I may be getting a new guardian soon," Yume tells Akira. It's good to get the hints out there, like she threw out quietly to the girls at dance. Better to build up while she's going through laws and papers and forging signatures. She doesn't expect the stiffening she hears on the other line. "Akira?"

"Do you like them?"

"Hitoshi is nice. He carried the books for us, remember?"

Akira slumps against the wall, letting out a small noise of pain when his head bangs. "I remember. He would be good to look after you."

"I hope so. Though, he can't do too much worse than my current babysitter."

"How is she?"

"Fine." In some small-town away from here. That prompts Yume to write down reminders about looking out for Sojiro while he's on the arsonist case. Three things to do tonight, then. Sleep and nightmares are for the weak, so she'll probably make it to two AM before crashing on the couch again. "How are your current tutors? Any changes?"

"Still taskmasters. No new stories."

Too bad. Sometimes his teachers can be really out-there, especially his English and literature teachers. "Do you want me to read you some of the books I got from the library today?"

He affirms and she cracks open a math-y book just to get him to laugh. "Choose a story book."

"Okay," Yume agrees with a smile and pulls out a history book on the first emperor of Rome, Augustus. Hitoshi recommended she read this one, while Ms. Murakami had her check out one on Cleopatra. Akira falls silent and lets the words flow through the phone.

After they've hung up, Yume wonders if she and Akira really have social linked or if she'll be stuck with main character Tetsuya when they finally, officially meet.

* * *

 **A/N: All who guessed what Yume's arcana could be had excellent choices and reasonings; in the end she is a Fool. Primary and Secondary Arcana will be explained next chapter… along with other things… I was trying to make this and the next chapter one whole thing but next chapter's a bit of an info-dump. Thank you all who guessed! Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! So much information… a whole Library… Hitoshi was definitely going to be tricked without his partner there, but he knows better now. Them meeting in the safe room has been a favourite of mine to write. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! There will be lots covered next chapter, including the requirements mentioned. I'm glad you picked up on it. Sometimes I wonder if I should just write their first in-game meeting since it's one of the few events set in stone. Until then, going to keep throwing fluff when I can. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, InnocentSerenade, for your review! They're working on it, though Akira won't get good on 'sharing is caring' until much later. She more-or-less gave it up because she needs more information (for Haru and Ryuji). Trust is a big word, especially for masked super-heroes; though Yume already knows their identities so... I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Maxxus Herald, for your review! Hopefully the start of visiting the Library lived up to the hype; there's so much more next chapter. Don't know if you saw it but there's a very tiny, half-hearted suggestion towards the P2 games. It will be brought up again later, so don't worry if it's missed now. Thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, guisniperman, for your review! Yume finally getting to that Library was the most exciting moment to write since I introduced Akira. Did not think it would take this long. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for your review!**

 **Thank you, saebest, for your reviews! 'Ee' is Yume answering 'yes' a little too friendly while 'iie' is her answering a direct 'no' usually in the wrong tone of voice for it. It's a set-up for a later problem, since the adults think it's cute now and don't correct her formalities. I'm glad you're enjoying it! Games one and two don't have complete impact on this story, and will be explained if they come up so don't worry (P5 is the only game I played so it's a work in progress for lore). Games three and four should be pretty minor overall with their crossover. I hope this helps! Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! Everything's slowly getting there, and by getting there I mean Yume's finally going to meet the current team of Phantom Thieves. I've been looking forward to writing a lot of what's coming up, so hopefully it all comes together well! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Have a great June**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Yume wakes up at five thirty in the morning, realizes she can't get back to sleep, and so tries out her new library card. She stands in the middle of her bedroom and drops it. Black sparkles trail behind the card, the world shits, and then she's grabbing the Fool tarot card and skipping up to the Library.

"I didn't expect you so early," is the only comment Angel has. The adult stays until Yume's picked out a book from the to-be-shelved cart and then she leaves without a care.

The little girl flips open the book, which is supposed to be on Fools, and makes a confused noise at the multiple languages it's written in. She can read every word, but sometimes paragraphs stop mid-sentence and switch from Japanese to English or Italian dots the margins. After flipping through the pages just to see if it continues, it is revealed some of it is written in pseudo code. There is a nine-line recursive function on two pages. What. The. F-

"Excuse me?" Yume finds Angel in the shelves sorting through books. "Can you read this?"

Angel picks up the book and starts to read the nine lines. Except when she says isn't nine lines but about a page and a half of Italian with some smattering of Japanese. "I'm sorry. You probably didn't understand most of that. The books here change so you should be able to understand. You just have to believe you'll understand everything you're going to read."

Yume takes the book back with the utmost blank expression. "Please explain how belief translates a book."

Angel makes a face under her mask and the impression Yume gets is that this woman hates everything. "So, welcome to the Metaverse. It's believed that this place balances the area between the human subconscious and the shards of demonic powers. Here, anything is possible as long as you can convince your subconscious to believe it as well. If you believe, _really and truly_ believe, that you can read that book, then everything in that book will be written in a language you can understand."

Yume makes a dissatisfied noise. "That seems really overpowered."

"Oh, it is. However, there are limitations. It comes down to your willpower when faced with someone or something else in the Metaverse. That book holds little to no willpower, so your mentality has the ability to overtake it and change it to your desire. Once you are done oppressing it, it will revert back to its original form. If I were to force my will over it while you were trying to read, then it would transform into something I can read because I have more willpower than you."

 _Rude_. Yume bristles but Angel cuts her off.

"It has to do with age. The older you get, the more you are able to put your all into something. Since you're so young, you won't be able to change most things until your teenage years. But, since you're starting so young, with enough practice you'll have lots of control by the time you start battling monsters and exploring dungeons."

Yume plasters on a smile and chirps, "Thank you!" while going back to her table to read. Inwardly, she curses up a storm. Just another hinder. No wonder she couldn't find anything to stop her dance teacher. Forcing herself to believe shouldn't be too much of a problem, but how does that compare when she doesn't have a Persona?

What does it mean to the magical-powers if she's had a life before this one?

At least it isn't the power of friendship. Yume takes comfort she isn't being screwed by _having_ to make _friends_ that she'd risk her life for. Making friends on her own terms is nice, but she's not jumping off a cliff for anyone.

(Headshot.)

Making a face at the sour taste in her mouth, Yume swallows hard and cracks open the book again. She never even wondered if she could have read it; a rookie mistake. She'll have to get creative in her thinking when she starts doing willpower-whatever. Imagination. Belief. Asserting mental dominance in a level of the populace's subconscious; what could go wrong?

 _The Fool is the strongest arcana typing to ever be associated with a human_.

One sentence in, and apparently everything can go wrong for Yume. Good to know. _Fools can speak with demons_ , blah, blah, _bring change_ , yadda, yadda, _can only activate and maintain their abilities by making a contract with the leader of a Building or Room._

Whoops. No wonder they called her Cheater. Yume is a free agent of change, and that's apparently a big no-no with both humans and demons. Good thing she managed to make herself the highest-level administrator and redacted her file from everyone who wants a read. Real life successes she can handle. Magical flukes will be harder to cover up when she doesn't know the rules.

Yume finishes the chapter and finds Angel again. "Please hold this book for me."

"Okay?"

"See you in a couple hours!"

"W-what?"

Yume smiles disarmingly and waves, already halfway out of the aisle. "Hitoshi is bringing me back here to learn stuff!"

Angel just blinks. When nothing else is said, Yume does her goodbyes again and gets back to her apartment in time to meet Sojiro for breakfast. Then it's off to the park with Ms. Eguchi to meet with Ryuji and be a kid for a while.

Though, her friends are in trouble. She really needs to hurry up this tutorial and help them before she can think about being a kid again.

;;;

When Hitoshi brings her back to the library from her apartment in the afternoon, a computer monitor has been turned around and set to a local news channel. There's also a new person in a blue skin-suit with glowing green lines running up and down it crouched by the monitor attached to a laptop.

"Navi," Hitoshi greets with fondness. "I didn't think you'd come here today."

"I want to see this on the big screen," says a cute, squeaky voice. The mask swings around, large blue with goggles for the eyes. Sneakers scuff as she stands, and Yume recognizes Mary Macdonald by her red hair no matter how distracting the other colours are. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cheater!" Yume chirps, pulling up the scarf over her mouth to show her smile yet keep her cheekbones and nose covered. The mask only covers so much, after all. "Nice to meet you!"

Mary leans down and blinks a few times. "Oh, wow! You're pretty young, aren't you?"

"She is," Hitoshi says, careful not to shift Yume's tight hair bun when he pats her head. The little girl hisses theatrically. "Are Angel or Chemist around? We're going to test for her strengths and weaknesses."

"Good idea," Mary hums, going back to fiddling with the computers. She waves over her shoulder. "Let me know how it goes so I can update my info on you, Cheater. It's all a little glitchy looking at you."

"Okay!"

Chemist comes out of the aisles with an empty book cart. "Oh, hello. Angel left your book behind the counter."

"Thanks!" Yume smiles with sparkles.

Hitoshi looks curiously at her but doesn't ask. "Chemist? Is the training room free?"

The man lights up behind his white-blue mask. "Yes, come along! We've got a show to put on!"

Very excitable, that one. Yume hums and follows into what looks like a small metal field. There are white marks on the ground to tell halfway, the opponent's and challenger starting boxes and the "-boundary of the magical field," Chemist explains. "So we can watch from the outside and have safe zones if things start to get out of hand. Step here, please."

Yume follows the directions and steps into the white lines of a rectangle. Chemist moves to the other one across the field while Hitoshi leans on the wall of Yume's side to watch. The magician unhooks the bo staff from his back and smiles. "You just need to stand there, Cheater. I'll run through some easy attacks. All you have to do is realize these attacks won't kill you."

"It's all about the mind," Yume says, thinking back to Angel's words about the books.

"Yes!" Chemist took it as a question. "Exactly! It takes a lot of mental fortitude, but sometimes you can even block an attack by realizing it isn't going to hurt. Don't focus on that now, though. Just repeat 'this won't kill me' over in your head and let me know when you're getting tired."

"Okay," Yume nods. She's cursing in her head because physics is a hard lesson to unlearn. Constantly thinking outside the box is going to be a pain. Hopefully she hasn't screwed everything up by plopping herself into the Metaverse without a contract.

"Here I come."

 _This won't kill me_ , Yume thinks as Chemist runs across the field. _This won't kill me_. He twirls and swings the staff down at scary speeds. _This won't kill me_. Yume's eyes harden as her teeth bare under the scarf. _T_ h _i_ s _w_ i _l_ l _n_ o _t_ k _i_ l _l_ m _e_!

Still, she flinches.

"Ow," Yume groans and clutches her head. "That hurt."

"No resistance," Chemist sighs and shoulders the weapon on his back. He's reached for his hip before Yume can shake off the newspaper-whacking feel. "Now, this."

The little girl is petrified at the gun pointed at her head.

She's not breathing.

(Nononononono-)

 _Bang!_

The world goes black just as her backside lands on the ground.

(Headshot.)

Yume comes to with Hitoshi worriedly shaking her awake. "Wha happend?"

"You're weak to projectiles," Chemist grimaces, flinching at the _no duh_ glare Spike aims his way. "I'm sorry. That's the rarest weakness for a Persona user to have, so I wasn't thinking when I fired."

Of course she would be. Yume shivers and hopes that's the only weakness she has. Death via gunshot really has left it's mark beyond her nightmares. Of course it couldn't be a resistance. Not when she's scared to stare down a barrel, no matter how defiant she is to the end.

"Or you would have seen her terrified," Hitoshi grits out, holding the girl close to his side as he helps her stand. "We're done for the day."

"Let me try the magic," Chemist pleads. Hitoshi is all levels of unimpressed and Yume wants to side with him. Never mind set-backs on her coping methods, she's lucky not to be comatose from the shock. "This will keep limit how much terror she has to face."

"No," Hitoshi declines flatly.

"I can do it," Yume whispers, not trying to smile. A jagged mess of emotions means wanting to curl up and cry for a bit. There is a tugging in her chest, though. Slowly calming down the sharp edges. "Let's just finish it."

Hitoshi goes to deny again, but swallows at the hollow look he's faced with. "The moment you're done, you let us know."

"Okay."

The lack of perkiness startles the men. Hitoshi sits down and drags her into his lap, giving her comfort with a tight hug that Yume barley responds to. "I'm staying with her."

"I won't hit her again," Chemist protests.

"I'm staying here."

"You'll mess up the readings."

"You already have my numbers. Just subtract them from her."

Chemist groans and mutters about making more work but walks over to his side. He sets his feet. The man grabs the edge of his white top hat and tilts it over his eyes. Then he throws his head back, righting the hat. "Flamel!"

As in, Nicholas Flamel. Suddenly, Yume makes sense of his Chemist nickname.

Flames brush by them, made from the bottle the Persona shakes and releases. Near painfully hot, but they don't leave burns. Ice follows, unbearably cold but leaving no frost. Yume flinches more at the sound of electricity than the actual shocks. Wind rushes by like razors but doesn't cut. Psychosis just makes her head pound for a few moments. She groans at nuclear because the force of it hurts even if there is no radiation.

"I'm weak to physical attacks," Hitoshi admits as he picks her up and carries her over his shoulder. "It's also a rarity. Honestly, some days I'm sure the spikes on my outfit are to turn others off from physically attacking me."

Yume hums and watches Chemist work at the free computer. She is set down on the table and leans against her soon-to-be guardian. "What are you doing, Ms. Navi?"

"Miss?" Mary mouths to herself. She shakes her head and rolls the chair she's on over. "I'm waiting for a news channel to show our success. Someone has to record this stuff, since our esteemed leader is en route back home."

"Someone is going to admit to doing something very bad," Hitoshi says slowly, explaining it to Yume. "It's what happens when you change their palace; make them realize their wrongdoings. Only, we need to make sure our group isn't brought up in the news and that he really did have a change of heart."

"Oh," Yume says softly. "And… are you going to do that to my teacher?"

"We will," Hitoshi promises. "And I will keep you updated as we go."

"Congratulations, Cheater," Chemist turns the monitor around with a wave. "All you have is a weakness to projectiles. Everything else will effect you normally."

"Ouch," Mary mutters.

"We'll handle it," Hitoshi says.

"It's on!" Mary leaps to her feet and rushes to her computer. "Angel! Come see this!"

And so Yume watches a man break down in tears on live television as he admits to the atrocities he's committed. It's both fascinating and horrifying to watch. Yume knows of so many people who could end up like this, and who is she to decide? Who is she to name drop and speed along the process?

She is Yume. More importantly, she's done worse things than spread a little information in her past life. A quick check reminds her that she doesn't have a palace and she'll strive to never have one. Morally grey, _dark grey_ , and still recognizing what she does is bad.

 _Great and terrible things_ , Yume hums at an unbidden quote.

But she's just a side character at best, plot device at worst. The great and terrible things will have to be kept away from her to avoid all possible life-or-death situations. That's fine.

Point the gun away from her head. She's not a Persona user.

;;;

"Your Primary Arcana is the title everyone will refer to you as," Angel explains to Yume while the others flick through channels to get all the information on the public's opinion of their last target. "So, until yours changes, you'll be considered a Fool. However, as people are ever-changing beings, your primary will continue to change until either a major life event or you pass through puberty. You… do know what puberty is, right?"

"Ee!"

"Okay," _thank goodness_ goes unsaid, "Also to note, a list of skills and base-line personality traits have been found to be shared between those with the same primary. Such as how Fools are able to manipulate time once they're strong enough.

"Secondary is where things start to get tricky. Normally those don't ever get mentioned outside of Arcana testing. Your secondary is usually how you stand out from others like you with the same primary. It offers different skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Now, it isn't possible to create a bond with someone's secondary, but others can still feel the effects if it is strong enough."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a bit hard to describe, easier to see. There's a saying, like attracts like. Also, there's _another_ saying that opposites attract. So, two people with the same Primary Arcana get along great. Fool are the opposite in this case, attracting other opposites to them."

"So…?"

"So, don't be surprised if you end up really friendly with other Primary Fools. That book you were reading explains more about Fool attraction, but just know attraction only starts for active Persona users and with you being inactive it's likely not going to be a problem. Oh, but don't be surprised if you make an enemy of people with a Secondary Fool."

"What? Why would that happen?"

"Same reason I wouldn't like getting along with a Secondary Priestess. We'd be at each other's throats if I had their primary for my secondary. It just happens, because part of us wants to fulfill a role and is jealous someone else can do it better. The only way around it is to spend long days with each other… or be opposite genders. No idea why but you won't automatically hate a guy with a Fool secondary like you would a gal with it, so good luck."

Yume groans, _it's just a lot_. A lot to worry, a lot to try and fix, and tons that can be passed off as magic. Maybe being inactive will help when she finally does meet a female, Secondary Fool. Sounds like it will be an epic cat fight and she doesn't have energy to waste with hate. Stupid, shifting Arcana. "I just want to be nice to people."

Angel snorts. "Tough luck, kid."

Plus side, what are the chances she'll meet a woman with the Universe or World for a primary?

;;;

"Are you okay?" Akira asks sharp in her ear that night.

"Yes?" Yume tilts her head back to look at the phone for a second. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just had a bad feeling today," he sighs, annoyance turning into relief. "Nothing bad?"

"Nothing. I hung out with Hitoshi for most of it. He took me to a library, but I can't get a real library card until he becomes my permanent guardian."

Just like that, Akira relaxes audibly on his side of the phone. "Do you have books you want to read?"

"A whole page of them. I can always add more to the back if you want to suggest any…?"

There is a smile in his voice as Yume scribbles down his reply. She hums thoughtfully. Almost unbiddenly, the little girl wonders what her best friend's Arcana type would be. It leads her to wondering what all those around her would be as well. Good thing she can drop by the Library whenever she wants. Maybe she can even make a project out of spotting the arcana types in people.

Maybe, when she's not already stretched thin with real life.

* * *

 **A/N: So this pretty much came out in time. The story has been up for a year. Wow. Thank you everyone who's read it. It really means a lot to know people are enjoying it.**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! It's all slowly coming together. Yume's got a lot to learn, and a whole team to meet. It's coming up and I'm excited to write it! You're right, the second game does have its hints dropped last chapter. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Thank you, GlaresThatKill, for your review! Did not mean for this chapter to take so long. I hope the exposition wasn't too much, next chapter should be more plot-ish. Akira does count; back in chapter 21 was the start of their confident/social link. Which does cause some issues for a couple characters' planning. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! The timelines is more of a P2 hint, but does tie into pretty much all the timeline shenanigans. Yume's screwed up a lot of plans for the people around her by accidently starting a confident/social link with Akira back in chapter 21. The aftermath has varying results for all involved. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Thank you, Mia, for your review! I'm so glad to hear that! Thank you again for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I hope everyone has a great September**


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Waking up Monday, Yume expects the week to be normal. Have breakfast with Sojiro, do her stretches and workout or spend some time in the Library, lunch, go to dance class, dinner, gather information, and end with a phone call from Akira. A set schedule. There isn't much time for deviating.

Then Hitoshi Eguchi knocks on her door as she prepares to go running. Her smiling, child-like expression drops into one of vague annoyance. He holds the box in his hands higher. "What goes on in the apartment, stays in the apartment?"

Yume's smile returns with a shark-ish glint as she lets him in. "I thought you were only taking care of Ms. Eguchi's apartment last week?"

"Yes," he nods and places the box where she points in the living room. "I'm going to be your guardian, though. Better we start learning each other's secrets now."

"You already know a big one of mine," Yume says cutely, sitting on the couch to watch him unpack a bunch of broken bits of everything. What isn't said is that she knows one of his secrets, which should even it out. Poor guy looks concerned about the hinted imbalance. She's going to have a lot of work ahead of her if he's going to be her permanent guardian. "So, what's this secret?"

For now, she'll take his slips for granted.

"I fix objects we find in the Metaverse and sell them," he says before asking if he can use the table. She takes her backpack off it and gives him the go-ahead. "It's not quite legal, however, since I don't have proof of where I get the objects. It's fine for things like bead bracelets or puzzles, and most people don't think twice if I sell tea sets. Selling a painting or high-powered engine is the risk."

"Where do you sell them?" Yume asks seriously, taking him aback.

"Online stores, mostly." He lists off a few names.

Yume makes a face. "I'll be right back."

The only reason she tips into online stores is to find purchases and transactions of whoever she looks for. A lot of websites do not have their security up to her standards, but that's mostly contributed to now being the digital world's growing years. She finds Hitoshi's information on the lower-end protective sites and tells him he's to only sell the cheap, homemade-looking stuff here.

"Why?" he asks, fiddling with what looks to be a broken dolphin keychain.

"That's _my_ secret," Yume sniffs. "From now on you're to give me a sheet of what you are going to sell so I can keep track of everything. If you do this job while being my guardian, then I'm going to make sure we don't get caught."

The twenty-three years old man looks at the four-year-old, matching her seriousness. After a long moment of debating the pros and cons of letting a child dictate something he's spent years doing himself, Hitoshi nods. "We do a trail run. I should have something done and ready to sell in a few days. If you succeed in making more money than I usually do with sales, I'll agree to let you deal for me as well as continue down the road to becoming your guardian." He really needs to discuss this with Kayo; he's so out of his depth.

Yume makes a face but agrees. She doesn't like the thought of the police being called if her guardian does get busted. It will make things so much more difficult for her.

Hitoshi only entertains the thoughts because he's been wondering how she's been living alone for so long.

"Can you show me how to put things together like you do?" Yume asks, leaning towards where he's got bits of broken keychains laid on the table.

Hitoshi smiles. "Sure. Come here."

That's how the morning goes. He doesn't question when she naps after lunch, and then walks her to her dace class.

"I'll be here to pick you up," he promises.

And so, Yume's expectations are shattered.

;;;

After Hitoshi finishes explaining, the Phantom Thieves glance around the table. Whatever high came from their successful heist has long faded. Tetsuya sighs, "What does everyone think?"

"Congrats on getting a roommate," Bones says, going back to the textbook.

"Does no one find this suspicious?" Saber drawls, tone hard. "A _four-year-old_ mapping out a palace?"

"More unbelievable than anything," comes Wolf's blunt reply. Daichi is training to be a lawyer, so no matter how unlikely it is- "She did survive without anyone looking after her. The download may have been an accident, but we all know it's possible to find real money in the Metaverse."

"That would make sense," Saber hesitantly nods. "And she keeps going there until she can pay for food. Then it turns out her instructor has a palace, so of course she tries to help. Any idea how long she's been at this, Spike?"

"At least a month," Hitoshi's blunt reply has a few people flinching. "We met back in March, and I'm pretty sure mum was looking after her long people that."

"Four years old," Poppy mourns. Sadayo may not love ankle bitters, but she feels for the kid working so hard just to survive.

"Navi? River?" Tetsuya looks over to the team members who have met the girl. "You've been rather quiet. What do you think about all of this?"

"She seems nice," Navi shrugs. "It would do you good just to meet her. Hitoshi never even told you the best part."

"Oh?"

" _I_ think," River butts in, blue eyes hard and lips pursed, "even if we don't take her into the fold, she'll go around the Metaverse anyway. That little girl said she has friends with family and teachers needing a 'smack-down' in the Metaverse. It's not just her dance instructor."

"We haven't even finished the Check-In-Hotel!" Saber jumps to his feet. "We can't just add-"

"Sit down!" Poppy shouts, on her feet as well. Her hockey stick threateningly taps her palm.

"I won't just-"

"In the seat!"

"-let all our hard work get put on hold-"

" _NOW!_ "

Wolf gets up only to shove his friend back down. Hiroki doesn't say another word, and once Sadayo has calmed down and returned to her seat, Tae breaks in, "We're not going to leave the kid out to dry, just like we're not going to put the hotel on hold again."

"Well," Tetsuya finally breaks in. "For the next week, we are." Everyone turns to look at him. Even the Librarians poke their heads around the bookshelf. "We'll go right back to it, maybe even get Yume to help us with the hotel, but for now…"

 _June fourth is the deadline_ , he remembers now. He can almost see a few futures playing out where the Phantom Thieves didn't step in. The more Cheater inserted herself into the timeline, the more it has changed from the foggy months he's been repeating for a while. He read-up it in the Fool's chapter, about how female Fools change the flow of time. It makes sense now, why he's unknowingly been going back in time to fix things. _It's just been too far, too many times._

"I'll only take volunteers," he says, gaze cool behind the plain white mask. His black top hat is tilted up. "But I want the dance instructor's palace gone before June."

Before the timeline breaks again.

Before Yume loses her trust in them and tries it on her own.

"We have all we need to complete it," he motions to their phones, all laid on the table. "A few days to get a handle on the layout, a few to do some treasure grinding, and then we can send a calling card. As long as we don't trigger the security, we could be done this week."

"And save dozens of kids from an abusive situation," Poppy throws out there.

Saber grits his teeth, "The longer we wait to deal with the hotel-"

"I know," Ace looks around the group he leads, feeling tired. _There's never an easy choice_. "Navi, what didn't Spike tell me?"

"Huh? Oh, Cheater's a Fool like you."

There's a cold chill up his spine. _He knew it, after all_.

"But, well, she can't call a Persona."

The table breaks into more chaos, and all Tetsuya can do is lean back and stare at the ceiling. He closes his eyes and can only think ' _finally_ '.

"No forcing my charge into anything," Spike says, poking the side of the leader's head.

Ace smiles, peeking an eye open. "Of course not."

But it would feel so great to not be bound to the Library anymore.

"When can I meet her?"

Hitoshi sighs. "Sunday afternoon. It's the only time you're both free."

Ace straightens and _grins_.

;;;

Tuesday begins having breakfast with Sojiro, reading out loud the latest chapter on the business textbook while he makes soup. Yume makes no mention about taking over her new guardian's income, but then again, he will be paid, have free board, free food… _Hitoshi's really got it looking up for him_. It would probably be a good time to mention Hitoshi's going to become her guardian.

"Sojiro?" Yume looks up with a cute blink. Proceeds to hold her tongue. "What's a dividend?"

"Have you been looking ahead?" He sighs and pushes her a plate. Yume blinks oh-so innocently. "Kid, you'll learn about that chapter when we get there. Now, what are you doing today?"

She smiles and _doesn't_ tell him about the petty revenge being committed on those who make Haru cry. Kotori is officially part of the friend group, and somehow dug up lots of gossip for Haru to use against her fake friends. What Yume _does_ talk about is Makoto checking up on them during breaks. Unsaid and unknown to the observant man is that Makoto only does this because she's afraid for the younger girls.

When Yume asks about his current job, he doesn't say much beyond there being another fire. "Be careful out there."

"Ee, sir!"

;;;

Carmen slants a look as she snaps her fingers, "Alice, dear child, do your uncles know you're here?"

"Nope!" the small, blue-skinned girl cheers and commands her mini teddy-bear army into battle.

"Aw, lighten up Carmen," Pixie giggles, swooping down to grab some tea at Ishtar's table. "The more the merrier, right?"

"Indeed," Ishtar smiles, and the weakest shadows scream and abandon their attack. "Alice, when you're done, we are in the middle of a tea party."

"So. Many. _Tea_. Parties." Pixie complains to no one. "We've been doing this on and off for _ages_."

"That sounds delightful!" Alice claps her hands. Her teddy-bears explode. "Would you mind horribly if I joined?"

"We wouldn't mind at all," Ishtar grins behind her cup. Lightening rains from the sky, destroying the straggling weak-ish shadows. "Carmen, do you believe you'll be done soon." Her little boy toys are the perfect waiters.

"As long as-" rumbling cuts her off. Carmen sighs as a large golem shadow containing a Mithras copy stomps around the streets of steampunk-London. "You're _joking_." Normally, Mithras absorbs fire attacks. She doesn't feel up to resorting to physicals. "Alice, do you feel like finishing this up?"

"Why, I would love to!" Alice practically skips down the smoking road.

Carmen hefts up her skirt and returns to her seat. The snap of her fingers does not overshadow the creepy, cheerful laugher coming from behind her. "Boys! Another seat! And more tea, dears!"

Alice cheerfully smiles at the creature more than ten times her size. She holds her teddy-bear close with one hand, with the other points. An army of all-size teddy-bears appear around her. "Die for Me!"

The resounding explosion takes out the Mithras, and a good chunk of the block. Pixie cackles as Alice skips back through the debris.

"Tea party?" asks the child with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Of course," Ishtar helps the child into the empty seat.

After all, it wouldn't do to disappoint the strongest of Death's Arcana.

;;;

"Ugh," Ryuji groans and lightly scuff's Yume's elbow. "Stop being weird."

Today is Wednesday and this is the first time she's left Hitoshi _alone in her apartment_. Yume feels some right to acting weird – she's actually terrified he might snoop, might say something about what goes on in the apartment – but apparently her twitching is driving Ryuji crazy. She tries to smile, and he just groans again.

"Seriously," he pretends her face hurts to look at, "stop."

"Mean little brother," Yume sticks out her tongue _like a child_.

"You're the little sister!"

Yume laughs as she's chased around the baseball field. A couple other guys join in and it turns into a game of tag until the sleep-deprived coaches catch on. Yume gets another half-hearted scolding about 'paying' if she's going to stick around these lessons. She tells them she'll be leaving soon, and that it was nice to see them again.

"Oh, right!" Ryuji slings an arm around her shoulder and drags her to his baseball bag. "Ugh, I know it's in here… Ta da!"

Yume blinks at the paper shoved into her hands. "It's… a number?"

"It's a _time_ ," he huffs. "Mum says we'll have lunch this Sunday, so be sure to be at the park by this time!"

"Got it!" Yume grins, holding the paper close. "I'm looking forward to it, and I'll be sure to tell Ms. Eguchi!"

"Yah! The food's going to be awesome!"

Yume triple checks the time on the way home. She hopes this will go well.

;;;

When Bones and Wolf first entered Himura's palace, there was a lingering thought of _how bad is it?_

Now, they know. With the help of a map, collected from a four-year-old, they have easily snuck through windows and furthered discovered patrol routes of Shadows. The doctor Tae's training to be is quickly thinking of plans on how to explain this palace to a child. The lawyer Daichi wants to become does not want to deal with the mental scarring this could leave on a child.

"Do you think," Tae hums while her partner loots the next treasure chest, "that she looked up any of this on the internet?"

"Would she even know what to look up?" Daichi grunts and picks the lock.

"If she can make a map, I'm going to bet she tried to read a few of the pamphlets."

His face burns at the mention of this palace's reading material. He feels sick at the thought of a child learning what goes on here. "You're going to talk to her, correct?"

"Of course," Tae rolls her eyes. "Could you imagine Spike trying to talk birds and bees to a kid?"

Daichi grumbles something as he pulls out gemstones. He sighs and pockets them. "I want to say this can't get any worse."

"I'm glad you didn't," Tae sniffs and points to the next saferoom. Her machine gun swings around, and the Persona user holds it at ready. "A straight shot, three doors down. Think we can get make it, Wolf?"

Daichi sighs and slings out his rifle. "Can I blame you if we stir up security?"

"You can," Tae grins under her short, plague-doctor bird mask. "For one million yen."

"How about a large gemstone?" Daichi sighs but readies anyways. It's not like they know someone who can sell the expensive things they collect, even if they're worth millions. "On your count."

Tae holds up three fingers. Counts down.

Bullets make holes through the back of the patrolling waiter. The being twists until the monsters in the Shadows come out. Then, two masks are removed.

"Nostradamus!"

"Diabolik!"

As it turns out, deeper into the palace, they find out the first special areas were _tame_.

;;;

After being positive the only thing Hitoshi's done is take over the living in an organized mess, Yume leaves extra early Thursday morning to get to the park. They're all doing drills when she plops herself on a bench, waving at Goro. He flashes a smile, quick on his feet with the soccer ball.

 _Goodness_ , these kids would be adorable if they weren't trying to sabotage him at every turn. Yume just can't understand why they act like this towards him.

The scrimmage begins later, and Akechi motions her over to the off-player's bench. From there, Yume tries her absolute hardest to get the other sitting players to talk with Akechi, even if it's about the game. One boy on Akechi's other side does pick up the conversation, but he's soon called onto the field. Sure enough, everyone's been rotated in except the reddish-brown eyed Akechi.

So, Yume takes a different approach. "Are you going on offensive of defensive?" He tells her defence. "Okay, number three has trouble passing with her left foot. She also gets cornered on the boundary lines easily. Number five likes sticking to the middle of the field, he'll be the one they all pass to. Number nine gets physical, so watch out if he gets too close to you."

Goro watches as all her calculations come true. Then he's called on the field.

"Good luck!" Yume waves, intent on cheering him on. The newly-off, panting child gives her a large width to herself. Internally, she rolls her eyes at their childish antics. It will only hurt them later, but good on them for stranger-danger.

While Goro has some ability with football, he's not a prodigy. Yume holds back a wince as a goal is scored against his team, while shouting praise when he manages to corner number three with excellent situational awareness. He ends up pulled forward, and Yume can't stop her jump off the bench when he scores.

"Ee!" she cheers, fist pumping the air. "That was awesome!"

He finally looks over to her and _grins_.

When he's off the field, and they both quietly know he's not going back on it, Yume smiles with wide eyes. "You were so cool out there!"

"I-" he cuts off and glances to his feet. "Thank you." He meets her gaze with a real smile of his own. "Thank you for coming. Will I see you next week?"

"Of course, Mr. Akechi!"

"Just Akechi," he is quick to correct, tone soft. If possible, her smile grows wider. "Have a great week, Yume."

"You too, Akechi!"

;;;

"I think I made a new friend today," Yume tells Akira that night.

"…You think?"

Her finger twirls around her hair as she presses the phone harder to her ear. "Well, today he let me call him by his last name without honorifics. That means we're friends, right?"

"How old is he?"

"A year older than me." Yume frowns and changes a few numbers on her laptop's spreadsheet.

"Then, I guess yes?" Akira doesn't sound too confident or happy.

"Have you made any friends recently?" Yume keeps her tone light, eyeing the pile of drying knickknacks she'll need a name for to sell. Hitoshi really needs to start writing things down.

Akira hums, neither confirming or denying. "I've met people in class. Mother thinks about setting up play times for us."

"Then I hope you become good friends!" Yume smiles, hoping he'll have _some_ network to fall back on if she's not around.

He changes the subject, "Tell me a story?"

Yume huffs but complies, setting aside her work and sneaking into her room for a book. Hitoshi's long since gone to sleep, but that reminds her to tell him about these late-night phone calls. Once she posted her sleep schedule, he didn't even think about making a curfew. She's glad he doesn't push like everyone else would. Kind of makes her worried the world cheats him out of things.

"Hey, Akira?" Yume asks after she's finished the chapter. She pulls on her hair again, looking at the red that comes forward this time. "Are you doing okay?"

He hums questioningly. "Yes. Why?"

"Just making sure." For some reason, thinking that her best friend might be getting the same treatment as Akechi makes her want to destroy a few lives. That feeling needs to go, there's no room for rash actions. "If there is anything bothering you, you would tell me, right?"

"Yes," he promises, even raising his voice above the easy whisper. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Yume smiles, feeling touched he cares. "Sorry to worry you."

It's good to know he hasn't encountered any problems like her other friends. The worst feeling is being unable to help so far away.

Yume never thought she'd look forward to taking a subway, but here she is, waiting for the day she can take one without it looking suspicious.

;;;

"…Oh," Hitoshi looks around. "So… this is it?"

Yume – who thinks it is way too early this Friday to be dungeon exploring – nods and yawns. "Ee. This is Madam Himura's Cabaret and stripper club."

"Cheater… do you know what a stripper club is?"

"Hai," Yume nods, carefully tightening her hair to make sure no red shows through the bun. "The internet told me."

Spike looks at her for a long time. "When we get home, I'll answer any questions you that made you turn to the internet."

Cheater stifles a laugh. _You can try_. "Okay."

"So…" Spike looks around the parking lot. "How did you get in?"

Cheater skips backwards. "This way! I found three different places." Though, he's too broad to fit through the air vents.

;;;

"…Are you sure this isn't a lust-based dungeon?" Hiroki asks, getting his first look at the special areas of the palace.

"It's envy," Tae confirms.

"From what we've been able to piece together," Daichi pulls out a notepad, "Himura was on her way to becoming a prima ballerina when she got in an accident that prevented her from dancing again. She went into teaching but finds her students lack-of commitment to the 'art' a black stain on her. Anyone who stays under her long enough gets forced into the seedier dance clubs because she hates they may become more successful than she was."

"Sounds like an awful teacher," Sadayo's smile isn't nice.

"Well, Navi," Tetsuya calls to Mary through the magical headset. "How's our escape route looking?"

"Pretty good," she whistles at a secret passage. "River, Spike, take a left."

"Yume showed me the vents," Hitoshi mutters, crawling through them as they adjust to his size. "But we didn't go in. Are they quicker?"

"Very much so," Mary types coordinates in. "Hold, there should be a shadow passing soon."

There is. Hitoshi dispatches it when it's passed. Kayo finishes crawling, "So, all we need is to send the calling card?"

"Sounds like it," Tetsuya agrees. "Tomorrow?"

There's an echo as everyone agrees over the chat, " _Tomorrow_."

The leader grins as his Persona twirls excitedly inside his mind.

;;;

"And relax," Madam Himura claps her hands. The girls sag in relief, though Yume and Kotori keep their eyes on the woman. "That's it for today. As a reminder, these are the last days before the recital next Saturday. Next class you will come here, and then we will walk to the building you are performing in." Himura's sudden smile isn't exactly nice. "You have all been working so hard, don't let yourself give up now. See you all Monday."

Yume waits for Kotori to disengage from her friends. They walk out together, the taller girl asking, "Are you excited?"

"Very," Yume flashes a small smile. "Kind-of really nervous. This is it, you know? It's hard to believe."

"I know what you mean," Kotori squints. "But we're ready. Right?"

"Ee," Yume nods. "We're ready."

"Ready for what?" Miwa asks, matching step with them as they enter the changeroom.

The girls go over it again, and Yume takes out a pen and some paper. She hands her phone number to both girls. "If you ever want to talk or hang-out or something…"

Kotori tilts her head, "Are you not joining dance in the summer?"

Yume tells them no and gets to stretching. "Are you two continuing?"

"I think so," Miwa nods, moving over for Haru to sit.

"I am," Kotori nods.

"I'm starting tennis and cooking lessons," Haru blushes when they all exclaim how cool that is. "How does everyone feel about this being the last week?"

They go over it all again. Haru and Yume wave goodbye to the girls and start chatting about what Haru wants to learn how to make.

"I _will_ invite you over sometime," Haru hug-attacks Yume. "That way you get to try my food!"

"That sounds great!" Yume hugs her back, voice muffled. "I'm sure you'll make the best things!"

"Thank you, Yume," Haru says, hands planted on the smaller girl's shoulders. "I'd never have convinced my father without your help."

"Sure you would," Yume covers her friend's hands with her own. "You did all the research and talking yourself. Haru, you're amazing and deserve nice things and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

The taller girl hiccups and cries a bit. "I'm going to miss seeing you."

"I'll still be around," Yume initiates the hug this time. "I'm always a phone call away. So don't fret, okay? We still have a week to see each other."

"I want more time," Haru mourns gently tugging Yume's hair.

"Maybe we'll see each other in school." They will be a year apart, but it's still possible. "You'll have to tell me how school is. And keep teaching me French. And let me try your food."

Haru giggles.

Yume's struck with just how much she is going to miss seeing the friends she's made. Haru, Miwa, Kotori, Makoto, all those she gets along with in class, the nice teachers… life will move on and she's not sure how many will remember her.

"I'm going to miss you too," Yume mutters when they separate. The limo pulls up. "See you Monday?"

"Of course," Haru sends her a watery smile. "We… have a week."

"Let's make it great." Yume waves until the car is gone.

The girl groans and hangs her head. Of the people she won't miss, Madam Himura is top of the list. If Hitoshi's group can't do anything before the recital, Yume will try her hand at the boss after it.

;;;

" _NO!_ " Shadow Himura screams, falling to her knees. _"NO! YOU CAN'T- YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"_

"Face it," Sadayo steps forward, hockey stick twisting in her hands as she _rages_. "You're done for! All those students you've destroyed, all you've put them through, it's over! Grow up and accept there will always be people better than you! That it's your job as their teacher to help them be better!"

" _You don't understand!"_ Shadow Himura snarls. _"I had everything, and now you're taking it away from me again!"_

"We're not doing anything," Hiroki steps forward, saber loose in his hand. "Just because your dream was destroyed doesn't give you the right to destroy other's."

"Now you have a choice," Daichi plants his wrapped fists on his hips.

Tae puts her baseball bat away, "You either repent for what you've done-"

"-apologize and make amends to all you've hurt," Kayo steps forward.

"Or die," Hitoshi holds up his rifle.

They've never had to kill someone before and, continuing the trend, Shadow Himura breaks down crying. The will to survive is always strongest in the subconscious. _"I will, I will! Please don't kill me!"_

"Return to Himura," Tetsuya speaks softly, sheathing his knife. "You have a lot to make up for."

Shadow Himura croaks out as she fades, _"What if they don't accept my help?"_

"At least you've started to make amends."

As soon as the Shadow is gone, the world starts to fall apart. "Hate to break up the moment!" Navi shouts through the coms, "But get out before everything collapses!"

"Let's go!" Kayo shouts, already running.

Tetsuya pauses for a moment at the door. _Everything is as it should be._

For a second, he feels at peace.

"Ace! Hurry it up!"

"I'm coming!"

* * *

 **A/N: Well… a lot has happened (Persona Q2, Joker in Smash Bros, etc…) since I last posted a chapter. I'm excited to hear more about Persona 5: The Royal. No idea how much of the new content will be included in this story, but I'll try and see.**

 **Thank-you to every who's still reading this story. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX, for your review! You've got it; Primary Fools attract other Primary Fools, but not as strongly as they attract the other Arcana types. If they're the same gender, a Primary Fool will clash with someone who has a Secondary Fool. The Primary-Secondary, same-gender clash works the same with other Arcana types. Ignoring Fools, Primaries most strongly attract others of the same Primary, regardless of gender. It is confusing, but there will be examples as the story goes on. As for Akira… he is a Fool, but with none of the fancy powers. It's… complicated… (because Yume cheated the system). I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Innocent Serenade (as Guest), for your review! It really does suck to not have resistances or nulls to anything, but there's room to grow! One of these chapters will eventually have Akira and Yume meeting again… eventually. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, starfish, for your review! I'm so glad to hear that! Definitely more of those two in the future, and maybe their social link can finally increase. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, Kalmaegi, for your review! Right? Keeping her problems in Tokyo has been hard enough, her school may even have field trips. Second Puberty is going to be** _ **awful**_ **, and I'm looking forward to it so much. Joker's still living out the routine, so definitely bored. There's been at least one timeline change in this chapter, however. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, meow, for your review. This chapter felt like a monster of parts to go through, I'm glad it's done. Thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Chococherryrin, for your review! I'm so glad to hear that! I really hope you enjoyed the chapter, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Thank you, Redbeltwolf, for your review! Strangely, this chapter has been the hardest to write (probably since I keep changing this story's outline with each game that comes out). I'm really happy to hear you like the story so much. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, xenocanaan, for your review! I am really glad to hear that, thank you so much! I truly hope you enjoyed the chapter (and that it made up for some of the tears), and thank you very much for your review!**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a fantastic day**


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

After Sunday's breakfast with Sojiro, Yume returns to her apartment to find a very nervous Hitoshi. She pulls out the stool and locks the door, not taking her eyes off him, "What is it?"

"Let's go to the Library today," he says, picking up and putting down more bits and bobs. "You haven't been in a while, right?"

"I guess we can go later," Yume drawls, heading for her room. "I'm having lunch today with Ryuji and his mum and _your mother_."

"Later is fine!" Hitoshi is quick to assure her.

Yume gives him one last suspicious look, and then goes for a quick nap. It's probably more testing. Maybe there'll finally be time to read more about Fools.

"Is my son taking care of you?" Ms. Eguchi asks as they head to her car. Yume is quick to assure that _yes, he most certainly is_. The woman hums. "Well, maybe we can contact your parents about making him your guardian."

"I already did," Yume grins bright and cutely. The papers are printed, and all she needs is Hitoshi's signature along with a third party to sign and approve it. "They're thinking about it."

Ms. Eguchi mutters some things under her breath that Yume pretends not to hear. They arrive at the park with little fanfare. Yume cheerfully shouts out her friend's name and rushes over to meet him.

He noogies her. "Not the hair! _Not the hair!_ "

Ryuji laughs and eases off. "Come on, sis! Ma's got today all planned out!"

Yume smiles and keeps Ryuji busy while the adults talk. Lunch begins tame, with childish insults between the kids and easy teasing about the foods they like. Half of their orders end up on each others' plate, comparing favourites.

"Two of my boys were picky eaters," Ms. Eguchi giggles behind her coffee. "I'm glad Yume likes everything."

That's mostly true. She hates rutabagas, but luckily it isn't a common dish vegetable in Japan. "Was Hitoshi a picky eater?"

Ms. Eguchi shakes her head and explains to the confused mother, "My youngest boy. No, Yume, he ate everything he could. Never enjoyed things too spicy, though."

"I'll eat anything!" Ryuji declares. "I'll even eat worms!"

"No, you won't," his mother smiles, a scold behind it. "Because if you did, we'd have to have a talk like the time you ate mud."

He deflates, and Yume pokes his hand, "Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't have to ever eat worms or dirt. Only good food!"

"Good food for us!" he cheers and gets back to eating.

Yume blinks cutely and smiles at Ryuji's mother. "Don't worry, Ms. Sakamoto. I'll make sure to take care of Ryuji. He's my little brother."

"You're the little sister!" Ryuji shouts through a mouthful of food. They get into a footsie fight, Yume smiling evilly while he tries not to choke when cackling.

It's up to Maki Eguchi to pave the reassuring path Yume started. She promises the wary and hopeful Ms. Sakamoto, "We can keep an eye on Ryuji, if you ever need someone to watch him. My youngest, Hitoshi, is going to be Yume's guardian soon. If not me, then there will always be someone to look after the kids."

Ryuji's mother takes a deep breath, nodding and tugging at her long sleeves, "Thank you."

Ms. Eguchi squeezes Yume's hand, eyes warning her not to push anymore. The girl smiles back.

;;;

It isn't hard to tell Hitoshi is hiding _something_. Yume once grew up looking for those who bury their secrets; she uses the best of their skills now. Once upon a time, she could spot the guiltiest people from miles away. From the signs, Hitoshi does not deal well with hiding things that happened recently. His role in questioning her, for example, was not subtle nor smooth. Hiding the Metaverse from his family, however, is old news. He'll only get better at tucking away his behind-the-scenes role when he has an actual job.

Yume lets it all slide, because there is not much she can do to get out of their visit to the Library. She does want to go. The stress she's carried since Hitoshi pretty-much moved-in hasn't abated, and his secrecy is only making her frayed nerves worse. Better to get this over with.

Hitoshi drops his card first. Yume waits a minute before dropping her own. On the Library stairs, she smiles and takes the hand he offers.

"Chemist, Angel!" Hitoshi calls out. "We're here!

"Are the others around?"

Yume trips. _Should have known._

Over by the front desk are two Persona users she doesn't know.

 _Hitoshi is never allowed to hide things again while in the apartment_.

"Hi there," the taller of the two kneels down before her. She recognizes Tetsuya, even with the mask on. "You're Cheater, yes?"

"Hai!" Yume nods, trying hard not to clutch Hitoshi's hand. _It would serve him right._

"I'm Ace," Tetsuya grins and holds out a hand. "Leader of the Phantom Thieves. It's nice to finally meet you!"

Yume widens her eyes and smiles cutely. "You're the ones going after Madam Himura!" She takes his hand.

There is a rush over her. A cool sort of feeling that turns into a churning – _burning_ – sense in her stomach. Yume chalks it up to nerves, retracting her hand and using all the patience she learned from her last life to not wipe it on her shirt. Tetsuya is still grinning when he tells her, "We actually changed Himura's heart yesterday."

Yume sags. "She's… she's changed? She's not going to be mean anymore?"

"She'll be nicer," he pats her head, the cool feeling quickly coming and going. It's almost like being doused in water as it breaks her from shock. "You won't have to worry about her bothering anyone anymore."

Yume wrestles her hand from Hitoshi and does something she truly means for the first time this life. The little girl bows to show her respect. "Thank you, Master Ace."

"Oh, just Ace kid," Tetsuya turns to Hitoshi, hissing, " _she's so nice_."

Hitoshi blinks. Looks at the girl with a serious expression. Looks to his friend. "Right…"

"Thank you, Mr. Spike," Yume bows to her soon-to-be guardian. Hitoshi makes a noise of protest. She turns and bows once more to Tetsuya. "Please give my thanks to the others of your team."

"We didn't do it for free," drawls the teenager with dark blue hair, making her way over. "You owe us one-million yen."

Yume blinks at who is likely Tae behind the beaked mask. Dark blue isn't a common hair colour.

"Don't," Hitoshi groans. "Bones doesn't mean that, Cheater. Becoming your guardian is payment enough."

"Okay," Yume gives the most adorable smile. Tae and Tetsuya melt their guards right before her eyes.

"The rest of the team is stopping by today," Tetsuya tells her. "We're all excited to meet you. It's not every day we meet people able to use the Metaverse Navigator."

"I look forward to meeting you all too!" Yume lies perfectly. So much for staying out of the plot. At least she's got one dungeon under her belt, even if she didn't fight/find the boss. "I hope we can all be great friends!"

Level ones don't survive long alone. At the very least, they can get her through a tutorial battle.

;;;

It starts out as a trickle of unease. It isn't unusual to feel this during his mother's tea parties, though Akira normally ends up bored more than anything. A trickle of unease, and then a spot in his chest which feels too hot and too cold. Akira rubs it once, and then goes back to playing the perfect child. The feelings don't fade, instead spreading outwards ever-so-slowly as the hour passes.

It doesn't hurt, but it isn't pleasant. It gets worse when, bored and lonely, Akira thinks, _I wish Yume was here._

He can ignore the blazing in his chest when he reads the books she bought him. Dinner is spent in uncomfortable, stilted quiet as his parents race through their family meal. Akira is doing his best not to panic, counting down the minutes in the dark with a phone at ready.

He dials when he's sure no one else is awake.

"Ishii family household, Ishii Yume speaking."

Akira _breathes_ , easy and effortless. The raw hot-cold in his chest dies down to a pleasant hum, the world feeling so much easier. "Hi, Yume."

He doesn't question the deep, low-level emotions he doesn't know the name of yet. He just knows that Yume is _his_ best friend.

(The Fool bond knows someone tried to take her from him and want retribution to be paid for the slight.)

For now, everything is _fine_.

;;;

One by one, the Phantom Thieves fell to Cheater's cuteness. Tae had The Talk with the girl, Daichi got to answer questions about Japan's laws, Sadayo got to practice teaching with the girl, and even Hiroki could not hold any issues about doing Himura's dungeon first.

For Tetsuya, Cheater makes him think of his little sister. Cheater is even younger, and he regrets someone so tiny had to face a palace. Those things are the longest-lasting, worst distortions of people. They do not change without the aid of a Persona user. Thinking about a child having to face it-

There are echoes of a ruin ending in his memories. Old, fractured things of a future that will not come to pass. He is glad the girl didn't try fighting anything on her own.

What Tetsuya is not happy about is not making a link with her.

"There's nothing you can do," Chemist tells him. "There's so little on female Fools that I can only guess you'll eventually match, or you won't."

"It's not that big a deal," Angel rolls her eyes.

 _Maybe not to you_ , Tetsuya glares a bit before sighing, _but I'd rather be free of the Library's contract_. "Sure. That was a bust, but what about her potential? Do you think she has any future as a Phantom Thief?"

Chemist smiles, "Of course! A couple years of training, and I think she'd be able to fight Shadows. For now, why not try her out as a scout?"

"Scout?"

"Well," Angel drops her books on the counter, "why not have her look through the Check-In Hotel? Even just sending her through the ground-floor would be a good way to realise if mapping Himura's palace was a fluke."

Tetsuya thinks about it. Nods slowly. "After we're sure Himura isn't causing any more problems." It would make their lives easier if it meant they didn't have to map an escape route, find the treasure, and battle hordes of enemies along the way. "And no mentioning this to Hitoshi until we're sure."

The Librarians roll their eyes in sync. " _Of course_."

;;;

For many reasons, Yume is twitchier by the time dance class begins Monday. She's more fake. Her smiles are a bit more strained and her true feelings about the day are shoved deep down until she can find alone time to process them. The emotional upheaval at meeting the Phantom Thieves yesterday – and they are so _nice_ – doesn't help with what's to come. Yume is secretly, quietly, a mess.

Thankfully, Haru doesn't do more than give her a hug and whisper it's going to be okay. The other girls don't hear. A teacher from the older girls leads both groups to the performance hall. When they get there, harried dance instructors tell the groups, "Professor Himura will not be back until the performance night, as she has suddenly fallen ill."

Though it may be terrible for their teachers, a visible aura of relief falls over the children. Kotori even mutters, "Thank goodness."

Yume musters up a real smile. The Phantom Thieves came through. Looks like she's getting a new guardian.

It's one bright light in an otherwise mournful time.

;;;

The year is 2005, and this is apparently the last day to match. The more often Yume thinks about it, the less it hurts her head to remember. According to the Librarians, tomorrow does not exist.

Yume lights a candle every May thirty-first for her past-life's younger brother and older sister. If it's true that she was the cause of the calendar shift, then having her day of remembering scratched out is either her psyche saying move on or pouring salt into the wounds. She kind-of expects it's the latter.

In the quiet of her room, Yume stares at the burning wick. Her determination to see this through is interrupted by the phone ringing.

Yume cries silently as this time, Akira reads her a chapter from his favourite book.

Alone in her room, phone returned to its cradle, the silence is stifling. Yume watches the flame, wondering what will happen for a day that doesn't exist. One less day to practice dance, one less day without Hitoshi signed on as her guardian, one less phone call. No one will question the skipping days. No one will realize their timeline is a branch one.

Midnight ticks closer.

(As the origin of an extra day came from Japan, so too will the origin of the fix.)

The hour hits, and an intense smell fills the suddenly dark room. Yume's eyes have adjusted to it, even if her brain has not caught up. The candle has long melted, all the way to its base. What's surprising is the strong scent of coffee emitting from it.

 _Maybe not so surprising_ , Yume thinks as giggles bubble behind her lips. It releases the same time she starts crying. Then she opens a window because the smell is too strong, and the past-life memories are stronger. "What was I thinking?"

The world has righted itself, and because she remembers that fact means she does not get all the corrected memories with it. Yume flips the calendar to June and goes to bed.

* * *

 **A/N: The deadline approaches, the world shifts, and Akira is experiencing some side-effects. Yikes.**

 **Thank you,** **xenocanaan, for your review! Here's a bit more, though better times are ahead. Again, thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, GlaresThatKill, for your review! Poor Akira really got the brunt of it this chapter. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you,** **starfish, for your review! Yep, Yume leveled up one way! Still stuck when it comes to the Metaverse, but probably the best for now. I really hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, TheParadoxicalOxymoron, for your review! I was so happy when I found the pairing tag, and for Phantom Thieves tag so I could shuffle Sojiro in there. There's a lot going on in the background that will tie into the lack-of-communication from her parents, but it's not clearly stated what is connected yet. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, ChordOverstreetFan, for your reviews! I can understand this isn't a lot of people's favourite type of story. I hope there was something you liked in it, and that you do find a Persona story that you enjoy. If you are referring to a review I addressed in the last chapter, Akira is a five-years-old Fool with one, rank-one confidant. Anything can happen. Thank you for reviewing and, again, I hope you find a Persona story you enjoy.**

 **Thank you, Avatar . NIX** **, for your review! Yep, and the recital date is approaching. Poor teachers are missing her, even if the kids don't. I hope it helped! Thank you for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, RavenMichaelis, for your review! Almost there! Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you, Redbeltwolf, for your review! Now that Hitoshi's sticking around, he'll definitely get more time. Glad to hear you liked it! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! Ace-Tetsuya's meeting with Cheater-Yume lead to this… disappointment on both ends. He's been studying on how to recruit her since their first meeting. There really has been a lot of news for P5. Thank you so much for your review, and I really hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a fantastic day**


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

"…How do you normally reach this stuff?" Hitoshi asks, head tilted in curiosity as he places the vegetables in his bag. In response, Yume tugs out a strategically placed employee's stool with her foot. "Oh."

"To be fair," the four-year-old isn't hiding her maturity in the moment, "I normally buy a lot of instant-things. They are near the floor and have cooking instructions."

"Can you read?"

"…Mostly."

" _Mostly?_ "

"Officially, I'm about sixth grade level," Yume gets on the stool to peer at the produce. "But really, I only have difficulty with uncommon or big words and colloquialisms."

Hitoshi blinks at the odd child. He nods. "I will start a list to help you learn them."

"Thank you! Oh, and do you think we can get this?"

Grocery shopping goes rather smoothly, with Yume charming the people who ask about the stranger following her. Many are nicer once they hear he's her new guardian. The only one to give any sort of shrewd look is the collage business student at the cash register. "I guess we won't see you running here as often Yume?"

"I'll still come by!" Yume protests, eyes wide. "I need milk to grow big and strong, and we haven't got that yet! We can get more milk, since Hitoshi can carry two and I can carry one, right Hitoshi?"

He blinks. "I think one for each of us is enough."

"But we'll keep coming back, Hanasaki," Yume still has wide eyes at the cashier who isn't looking. Currently, the young woman is finding the new minder lacking. "We'll eat twice as much to be back twice as often!"

Hanasaki's smile at Hitoshi screams ' _you hurt that girl, I break you'_. Hitoshi, lacking the ability to pick up on most hidden social cues, only pays and thanks the young woman. "Please come back soon. I look forward to seeing you again, Yume!"

"Bye!" Yume calls out her farewells to all those in the store. Hitoshi looks exhausted. Must be those four bags. "You know, I can carry more than the desert."

"Yume, I know you told me you did a lot of runs on grocery day, but how many people do you know?"

Ignoring her offer? Well, Yume grins like a shark and begins describing everyone on the street in excessive detail. She's still talking as they put groceries away, and still while they begin gluing together pieces of a shattered vase. By the time Kayo appears with her car, Yume's voice is on the brink of cracking.

"I think Yume could help you write an article if anything happens in this neighborhood," is all Hitoshi says as he takes the front seat. Once again, no one mentions that Yume is much too small to be riding in the car without a booster seat. It is likely the adults aren't even aware, since Hitoshi surely wasn't ready for sudden child acquisition. The short four-year-old doesn't role her eyes as she struggles to get up and belted in. _Honestly_. "She knows practically everyone."

"Not _everyone_. Just the child-friendly ones."

"Oh?" Kayo raises her eyebrows, waiting for Yume to belt in. "How do you know they're child friendly?"

"I look them up online." _More extensively than you think._

"You shouldn't believe everything you read on there. Or trust it. People post a lot of lies and there are a lot of brain rotting videos."

"Videos can rot your brain?"

"It's just an expression."

Hitoshi pipes in, "Yume has troubles with those. I'm writing her a list if you want to add to it."

"Sure thing."

Meanwhile, Yume's staring blankly at the two because apparently her sarcasm wasn't strong enough. Oh well. At least they're finally on their way to the lawyer's office. Deadlines need to be met and her brain is still a bit fuzzy on what's changed from the timeline shifting. Hopefully it's nothing too important.

An hour and a half later, everything is signed and legalized. By tomorrow, Hitoshi Eguchi will officially become her guardian.

;;;

"Poky?" Yume asks.

Goro Akechi's hand stills just over the boxes. One second turns to two, and then he carefully takes an item with a soft, "Thank you."

"Keep it," Yume takes a bite of her own chocolate one. "Actually, would you like a bento too? My new guardian made me two, I think cause it's our first day together." _Liar, liar_. Yume made both after meeting Sojiro, while Hitoshi was still asleep. Today is Goro's birthday, not that he's told her. "Here."

The young boy fiddles with the ribbon; it's not too formal nor too everyday. "Would you like to sit under the tree together?"

"Don't you have to play?"

"They won't notice I'm gone."

"Okay."

The ground isn't too wet for how early it is, though it may be due to how hot the weather is becoming. Yume settles easily, trying to remember if there's a proper way to eat poky. It snaps in her face and almost tumbles to the ground. Goro chuckles beside her, smiling when she turns her head.

"You should eat your meal first," he lightly scolds, tugging off the ribbon. Yume pulls her own out and follows his lead. "Is this your first bento?"

"I don't think so," and she really _does_ have to think about it. She looked up how to make one, back when she thought it might be needed to pass as having a caretaker. "My mother may have made one back when we had picnics, but I can't remember."

"…My mother made me one," he isn't smiling now. "This is my first birthday without her."

"…" Yume does her best to pinch his clothing and not him. When he looks over, she's honest, "I'm sorry for your loss."

He looks away and begins eating. They don't mention the tears on his face. When they're done, she gives him her phone number.

"Call me, day or night," Yume smiles the best she can. As honestly as she can. There is a strange feeling as she clasps his hand; a liquid thing trailing up her arms, looking for purchase. "We are friends, ee? So we can talk or hang out?"

"Y-yes." Goro's hand flexes, wanting to tense but not wanting to crush the note. "I'd like that."

"Then I look forward to hearing from you! See you next week, and happy birthday Akechi!"

;;;

Everyone is beginning to panic, even if they don't show it as often. The instructors are losing their minds because Himura still isn't showing or answering calls. Miwa sits every chance she gets. Makoto has been snappier at those goofing off in the theatre. Haru was on the verge of a panic attack in the bathroom. Kotori is stumbling more than usual. Yume has comforted, calmed, or been a steady body next to the girls, _plus_ those of her own class, whenever she can.

The countdown to tomorrow's recital is on.

Which means Yume is only too happy to be dragged into wrapping a present and hurrying to the Metaverse that late evening. The Library stands as tall as ever, only this time the tables have been moved towards the receptionist desk. Presents, food, drinks, and games line the tops. _This_ is a birthday party.

Hiroki Hoga's birthday party, in fact, though everyone is calling him Saber. Yume frets for all of ten minutes before the Librarians pulls her aside and explain that time's been slowed down while here in the Library until they decide to flick the switch.

"We can't do it often," Chemist explains, sipping a flute of a glowing liquid. "Most palaces and dungeons do have slower moving time compared to the real world."

"The distortions cause a reeeeal mess with physics," Angel is handling the heavy booze very well. "But you- oooh, you, girl, have soooo much power. You could do this one day. You can slow time waaay doooown. Hours here, seconds there. And you wouldn't age because you're," she motions to all of Yume.

"Let's get some food in you," Chemist, the information blocker, begins steering his co-worker away. "And, Yume? Feel free to use the training rooms for dance practice. Spike said he'll take you home in an hour this-world's time."

The girl grits her teeth and foruces out a smile, "Thanks!"

She'd rather read, but whatever. There will be moments for that, while the recital is tomorrow. The small girl ignores the sounds of partying and focuses. One, two three. _One two three_.

But thing's aren't that easy, and birthday boy bursts into the room, mostly drunk and telling her that her present to him should be exploring the Check-In-Hotel. Apparently, they've all been stuck searching it for months. Yume's seen the building, knows it's rather out of the way, and would rather not be forced into anything. However, "Okay! I'll scout it for you!"

Saber grins from under his mask and proceeds to explain in unneeded detail what she's likely to find. A smuggling ring. Money laundering. Don't forget the illegal fighting club. It all sounds like mid-to-upper level shenanigans a level one such as herself has no business being in.

 _Challenge accepted_. Yume hides the gulp by clasping her hands behind her back. And here she thought the dance recital and Madam Himura were the worst things to face this week.

Ah well, the police are getting a nice big tip this Saturday about the goings on of the missing teacher, just in case something falls through. Then it will be a coinflip: the arsonist case Sojiro is on or this Check-in-Hotel?

Decisions, decisions.

* * *

 **A/N: As I'm unsure when I can next update, and with the two-year anniversary of this story coming up, here is the last bit of this arc. Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with this, the support truly means a lot.**

 **Thank you, xenocanaan, for your review! I really hope you enjoy these chapters and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, MiserableSOUL660, for your reviews! It is definitely going to be an adventure with all the feelings (buried or otherwise). I'm so glad you like it! Thank you so much for your reviews, and I really hope you enjoy these chapters!**

 **Thank you, kalmaegi, for your review! That's a perfect description! What's worse is Tetsuya gets the chance to keep trying for a social link. Akira's got if rough and doesn't know it yet. I really hope you enjoy these chapters, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you, RavenMichaelis, for your review! One down, finally, hahaha! On to the next! I'm so glad you liked it! I really hope you enjoy these chapters, and thank you again for your review!**

 **Thank you, MiharuTousaka, for your review! I'm glad to hear! I've only played P5, so I'm still debating how much of the other games show up. Thank you so much for your review, and I hope you enjoy these chapters!**

 **Thank you, Victoria, for your reviews! I really hope you enjoy these chapters, and thank you again for reviewing!**

 **Thank you, TheMoldyLunchbox, for your review! I'm so glad to hear that! I really hope you enjoy these chapters, and thank you so much for your review!**

 **Thank you to everyone who is reading this story! I hope you have enjoyed it thus far, and that you have a fantastic day**


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"I'll be at your apartment at five o'clock," Sojiro tells her. Yume flashes a smile and focuses on not slurping breakfast. "You need to be there for five-thirty, correct?"

"And it begins at six-thirty."

"Understood," he sighs, folding the newspaper. "We'll be taking my car. Does Hitoshi have a ticket?"

"Iee," shake of her head. "You have the only two tickets."

"Alright. So we'll all fit. Are you… feeling prepared for this?"

"As I'll ever be!"

"Good, good." A long drink of his coffee. "I have the day off tomorrow. How about we celebrate?"

Her heart nervously flutters, _will not let you down_. "Yes, please!" _Will give the best performance I can_. She can walk, she can dance. _Thank you for supporting me._ "I'm so glad you can come!"

She hopes her parents are enjoying their excursions around Europe. Yume's fine where she is, living her _boring_ new life.

;;;

Yume is four-and-a-half, but in reality she has only been alive for three-and-a-half years. For her, it is strange being born in the 2000's, and stranger still no one notices a year is missing from their lives. Everything in this unstable branch of time has shifted again and again, and people carry on with memories that shift too.

Ms. Ishii opens her email to read a notice from a lawyer. She smiles sweetly and comments to her husband how grateful she is that their daughter is now being looked after by someone in the neighborhood. "Wasn't it so nice of the previous guardian to have found a substitute for them?"

The words leave her mouth, and under normal circumstances she never would have uttered them. However, she remembers phone calls from an apologetic babysitter whose apartment burned down and needs to focus on herself for a length of time. Mr. and Ms. Ishii remember looking at a potential replacements list and picking a young boy they know the mother of. They remember hearing that their letters to their daughter either went up in smoke or went back to sender because of it.

There are proof of emails, memories of calls from their daughter claiming she likes Hitoshi, and their signatures on all the legal documents. Mr. and Ms. Ishii do not question any of it. They make note to send anything new to Maki so she can deliver them across the hall.

The things they don't know: Yume's dance lessons. Running to buy essentials, like groceries. The babysitter was in a car accident and only has snippets of her memory back. Their daughter hasn't truly spoken with them in over half a year.

Instead, Mr. and Ms. Ishii are preparing to meet with some colleagues in London, England next week. They'll send an email to Hitoshi to remind him they want updates on their daughter's progress, but they'll likely be too busy to call until December. They think they've talked with Yume only a few days ago, and that it's enough.

What they do is all for the betterment of the world. Yume will understand why they're away so often when she's older, or they'll leave her to live a sheep life.

;;;

There is a young boy with dark blue hair and grey eyes. He eyes the painting supplies of his guardian with yearning, small fingers sometimes brushing the colour he wants to add. Instead of strict lessons on etiquette or pressure to learn his numbers and letters, the four-year-old is being raised to be open and creative. There are already signs of a genius in him, hidden behind grey eyes that see too much and understand too little.

"Yusuke…" The boy looks up. One of his guardian's newest apprentices – a nice one who lets him hold the paint brush sometimes – looks weary as they help him up to a work bench. "You know you're not supposed to be in here."

There is something wrong with the apprentice. Dark circles under their eyes. Yusuke doesn't understand and doesn't know to ask. Instead, the boy points, "Blos'thoms."

"The blossoms are pretty," they smile, but it seems wrong. "Maybe it will end up in an art gallery next Spring."

Yusuke nods, hoping the world will see all the hard work of the apprentice. Just like the others.

;;;

"Are you excited for the trip?" Ms. Takamaki asks her daughter.

"Kyllä!" Ann cheers, digging into the picnic with gusto.

"I know I am," Mr. Takamaki sighs and looks around their backyard. "All this stress from work can't be healthy."

"Maybe we can beat up something powerful," Ms. Takamaki giggles around her wineglass. "It's been a while since anything was strong enough not to go down in one punch."

"Dear," Mr. Takamaki sighs again. "Not in front of Ann."

The girl looks up at her name, chocolate cake smashed all over her face.

"Oh, sweetheart," Ms. Takamaki coos, reaching forward with a wet napkin. "Let's get that off you. Cake is not to be attacked but enjoyed."

Ann whines and tries to lick it off herself. Her parents laugh, conversation dropped.

;;;

Ryuji scores the winning run for his team, out-pacing the ball by mere feet. He cheers and hollers with the team crowding around him. Nothing ruins this moment, not his father chatting amicably with the other parents or the coaches finally realizing the younger kids have potential too. When he meets his mother's proud gaze, he waves and shouts, "Look, ma, I did it!"

Her grin is something precious and not seen often in their household. "You did!"

He holds this moment close, treasuring it for days to come. For once, the concession food tastes alright. The boy smiles and thinks the world is on his side for now.

;;;

Goro scores the winning goal for his team and smiles thinly at the satisfaction when the game ends ten minutes later. There are excited cheers from his teammates, polite clapping from the parents, and relief from the high school referees. The boy is proud of himself.

No one in the audience clasp for him. He packs his things and gathers with the other two orphans. They wait another thirty minutes before a frazzled matron pulls up and helps them load things into a van. The other two chat excitedly with her, but Goro merely smiles and responds when prompted.

The two other children don't seem to understand he won the game for them. It aches a bit, though he knows by now the world doesn't revolve around him. If it did, he wouldn't be here. Wouldn't be forced into sport after sport as they shuffle people around to fulfill requirements. Wouldn't go back to an orphanage where most stay away, thinking him cursed.

Goro Akechi yearns for a day he can escape this all and do what _he_ wants.

;;;

"Sojiro, really," Ms. Isshiki states over the phone neither scolding nor amused. "This is not a difficult problem. When Yume in on the stage, you clap harder. Cheer if you feel so inclined. Now, if you'll excuse me, Futaba and I are about to have dinner." _Click_.

Ms. Isshiki finally gives into the smile, shaking her head. Futaba calls again for food, and the woman switches phone for tray. Her daughter cheers at the sight.

"What's on tonight?" Ms. Isshiki asks, stealing the remote when her daughter is distracted. Futaba puffs her cheek with a spoon. "Don't choke, dear." She's already cut the pieces into bite-size, but always good to remind the three years old.

The thought of Futaba one day performing in front of a crowd of people makes Wakaba feel like breaking into stress hives. Thank goodness her daughter has no interest for the stage.

;;;

"Well, Makoto," Mr. Niijima grins at his daughter. "This is it. The big performance."

"You'll do fine," Sae assures her younger sister. "I was in the front row too. It's probably the easiest place; everyone else has to watch out for you."

"You're right," but Makoto's hands still shake. She keeps them clasped together. "I'm ready for this."

"That's the spirit!" the girls' father traps them both in a hug. They protest it may ruin the youngest's outfit. "Sorry, sorry. Just, at least let me take a few photos before we go."

The sisters share a look and nod. "Alright, father."

If Sae holds her sister just a little closer, it's for the photo. Makoto takes comfort in it anyway.

;;;

"Good luck," Akira repeats one more time. When the call is dead, he fiddles with the phone instead of his cuffs.

"Akira!" his mother shouts from the main hall. "I know you're dressed! If you don't come soon, we will be late!"

The boy sighs and gets out of the chair. He looks to the mirror. The default face looks back. He tries for a wider smile, but the forced feeling halts that. Hopefully there will be a few kids to stick close to. One or two from his dance class might be there. He swallows hard, thinking about the performance he has in a week.

How his father won't be there.

"Akira!"

He slams the door to signal he's coming.

;;;

Yume gets lifted into a booster seat, and almost freezes at who's in the passenger seat. "Ms. Eguchi?"

"Hi, Yume," the older woman smiles, eyes crinkling as she turns in the seat. "Are you excited for tonight?"

"H-hai!" she almost doesn't to believe, "Are you coming to watch?!"

"I'm Sojiro's plus one," the woman agrees. "I've been looking forward to this for ages, seeing how hard you've practiced. Where will you be on the stage?"

Yume finds her hands shake, all the nervousness of a four-year-old coming on at once as she explains. Sojiro driving barely registers. Eventually, the girl asks, "Aren't you busy with your granddaughter?"

"Not too busy to see my daughter on the stage."

Yume's brain crashes. "M-me?"

"Of course," Ms. Eguchi reaches back and takes the girl's hand. "Just because Hitoshi's your guardian doesn't mean I'm _not_ going to help raise you. You're my daughter now, sweetheart, no matter what."

The girl in the backseat bursts into tears.

;;;

Haru is carefully helped out of the vehicle by Vice President Takakura. She keeps gripping his hand, staring up at her father with wide starry eyes.

"Where do we go?" Mr. Okumura mutters, waving the driver away.

Haru jolts and looks around. She knows where she is supposed to go, but not the adults. Thankfully, she catches sight of Yume the same time the smaller girl sees them. They wave, with Yume practically bouncing as she pulls an adult towards them.

"Is that your friend?" Takakura asks, smiling.

Haru's father, though, does not seem pleased as he squints. "I don't recognize the family."

"Yume's parents are away on business," Haru quickly replies. "Those are likely her guardians."

"Well," Takakura grins and gently moves Haru forwards, "might as well introduce ourselves. Maybe they can help us."

"Indeed," Mr. Okumura agrees.

Haru struggles not to hold her breath. If her father doesn't like them, then _she'll never see Yume again_. The thought claws at her insides until she feels like a ghost fading away in plain sight.

"Hi, Ms. Okumura!" Yume chirps and- when was the last time she used Haru's last name? Haru doesn't even remember Yume's last name. "Ms. Eguchi, Mr. Sakura, this is my good friend, Okumura Haru."

"It's nice to meet you," the woman smiles and introduces herself to everyone. While Mr. Okumura and Mr. Sakura eye each other, Ms. Eguchi and Takakura get on like a house on fire. "We're heading inside if you would like to join us?"

"That sounds lovely," Takakura agrees. Haru's released his hand to stick close to Yume.

The shortest person in the small huddle smoothly takes Haru and breaks off once inside. She holds the taller girl's hand and says, "Haru, remember to breathe."

Haru takes a deep breath, coughing a bit. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Under the light of the hallway, Yume's eyes look red and puffy. "We've got this."

They're split up to get ready for their sections. Haru's class will go first, and the girl gulps as a haggard Ms. Himura stalks the room. Miwa stops by at one point to wish good luck before hurrying over to Makoto's group.

"It's going to be okay," Haru mutters to herself, steadying breathes in and out. At least she isn't crying like half her class.

;;;

Kotori leaves the absolute mess of her usual friend group to stick with Yume in the corner. She takes one look at the shorter girl's face and tells her, "I thought you wouldn't have been crying over this."

"Oh, no, it's not the dancing," Yume blows her nose, voice thick. "Got some really good news before coming here. Emotions are hard."

"They are," Kotori agrees, settling down and grabbing a tissue of her own. She begins ripping it into smaller and smaller pieces. "So, what's the news?"

"Eh, I'll tell you later. You still have my phone number, right?"

Hanging on her fridge with a note to make a playdate with her, but Yume doesn't need to know that. "Yes."

"Then call me and I'll tell you."

"Okay." Kotori pokes at her pile of scraps.

"How are you feeling."

"I just want it over."

Yume laughs a bit, clearer than before. "I know the feeling."

Kotori settles back and enjoys the silence between them as the chaos behind the curtain unfolds.

;;;

It goes as well as expected for a bunch of 'organized' pre-school children. No one trips or takes a dive off the edge of the stage, so Yume counts it a success. She also comes to realize she enjoys the art of dancing, but not everyone's eyes on her. It was worse than being a plus one at a mafia cocktail party, but that could be the underdeveloped child-body's feelings talking.

There is a shift at the end of the night. Every class has performed, some even twice, and the owner of the dance school is supposed to come up to the stage and make a nice closing speech. Madam Himura takes the microphone and stands front and center before anyone realizes it. Yume isn't the only kid peeking through the curtains when the microphone turns on, just as she isn't the only one surprised when Takara Himura confesses _everything_.

All of it, because the woman was envious. After her injury, Takara was told she could never dance again. She took out her envy and anger on her students in the worst possible ways.

Yume's grip on the curtain falls. She stumbles back. On stage, Himura drops to her knees and cries.

 _It worked._

Without her dungeon, Madam Himura crumbled. Yume sinks against the wall and lets the panic and shouting wash over her. It's done.

She'll worry about whether the Phantom Thieves killed the cognition or not later.

* * *

 **What – Has Happened, Will Happen, Or Won't Happen – Again:**

 _June 5_ _th_ _, 20XX_

 _Haru Okumura wakes up just before midnight with a gasp. Her heart races, eyes staring unseeing at the bed covers she fists. A hand reaches up to touch her forehead. The images play in her mind, insistent that the nightmare was real. She tries to think it through but cannot remember another possibility. It doesn't make sense, she had public dance lessons for years._

 _Her mind is convinced otherwise, determining that she was pulled out before she was to start school._

 _Haru painfully staggers to her computer, flicking on a light to chase away the dark. It takes too long to pull up the articles she wants, and even then it doesn't make sense. Takara Himura was arrested several years ago during a raid in a bar, but Haru remembers police taking her away the night of the recital. Haru remembers a list of crimes, not the handful she sees here. It is hard, determining what is real and what is nightmare._

 _And why dream about it now?_

 _Maybe it's the fiancé, reminding her too much of the time under Himura's sneering expression. Maybe a reminder her father once did care. Haru isn't sure why it's bothering her so much._

 _She does remember a few of the children are now her schoolmates. Maybe they remember what really happened to Himura, and to the little girl called Yume._

* * *

 **A/N: Compendium:**

 **Librarians:**

Sofia – Codename: Angel

Tristan – Codename: Chemist

 **Phantom Thieves:**

 **Core Member(s):**

Tetsuya – Codename: Ace

Tae – Codename: Bones

Mary – Codename: Navi

Sadayo – Codename: Poppy

Kayo – Codename: River

Hiroki – Codename: Saber

Hitoshi – Codename: Spike

Daichi – Codename: Wolf

 **Conditional Member(s):**

Yume – Codename: Cheater


End file.
